Watch the birdie: Eagle-eyed

• Photographer Christian Kneidinger, 50, captured images in Linz, Austria
• He was trying to focus on colours but after a closer look spotted the 'bird'
• Centre of pink moth orchid shows an optical illusion of animal in flight
• Showed other visitors at Botanical Garden who could not believe it
• Said he was surprised and 'never expected to see something so magical'

An eagle-eyed photographer has captured these incredible pictures of an orchid that looks just like a bird.

Photographer Christian Kneidinger, 50, was taking pictures in a botanical garden in Linz, Austria, when he realised he was looking at something special. 

Initially the software engineer was trying to focus on the colour of the flowers but after an hour he took a closer look at the pink moth orchid and noticed an optical illusion of a bird in its centre.

The optical illusion of a bird can be seen in the pink moth orchid found at Botanical Garden in Linz, Austria

Photographer Christian Kneidinger from Austria could not believe his eyes when he captured the images

‘I showed other visitors what I had captured, but no one could believe it. Everyone was so surprised, even when I showed them the orchid,’ he said.

‘I was trying to get some beautiful pictures of some beautiful plants. I never expected to see something so magical.’

‘I came by the bird completely by chance. I thought I was seeing things, but it felt so real.

‘I knew I had to capture it before it disappeared and I'd think my eyes had been deceiving me.’

Mr Kneidinger, who lives in Austria, used a DSLR 5D Mark III camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L lens and a Macro IS USM lens to capture the stunning pictures.

He said: ‘I looked through the finder of my DSLR and I noticed that it looked like a bird - I was really surprised.

Mr Kneidinger said he showed it to other visitors at the Botanical Garden in Linz, Austria, who couldn't believe it

He used a DSLR 5D Mark III camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L lens and a Macro IS USM lens for the image

Christian Kneidinger, 50 (pictured), said: 'I never expected to see something so magical¿

‘Looking at it through the camera monitor didn't have the same feeling as in real life, so I took my video LED light that I use to brighten shadows.

‘I placed the light behind the flower and reduced the intensity, and I got what I expected. It was amazing.’

The orchid, scientifically known as a Phalaenopsis, was found among the 10,000 various plants at the Botanical Garden in Linz, which houses five greenhouses full of exotic floras.

‘It shows how beautiful these flowers are and how nature is at one,’ added Mr Kneidinger.

‘I try to go with open eyes everywhere I go and I try to use different views.

‘I take time watching for my desired object and sometimes, like now, something unexpected happens.’

Saudi tourist flies in to London

• Modified Range Rover the latest supercar spotted in West London
• Motor is painted gold and features large bumpers and vent on the bonnet
• It is thought car's rich Saudi owner had it shipped over for his holiday
• Follows series of sightings of expensive cars in the Knightsbridge area 

The supercars parading through London's streets reached a whole new level of extravagance this week when a wealthy Arab rolled his gold Range Rover into town.

The 'Mystere' is a £150,000 version of the famous British vehicle which has been given an overhaul by German tuning house Hamann.

The car's normal design has been replaced with a customised body-kit which includes oversized bumpers and a bonnet vent.

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The £150,000 'Hamann Mystere' is one of the most flamboyant vehicles yet to be seen in the capital

It is thought the Range Rover's Saudi owner brought the car over with him for his summer stay in London
Its Saudi owner has also opted for the luxury off-roader, which is fitted with 23-inch alloy wheels, to be kitted out with a black and gold wrap.

The car, with the registration plate '666', has been flown over to the UK by its Saudi owner and is parked outside the expensive Wellesley Hotel in Knightsbridge.

A top-spec Range Rover costs £100,000 - with Hamann charging around £50,000 for the 'Mystere' conversion.

It is one of a number of flamboyant cars which have arrived in London for the summer season, when Middle-Eastern millionaires escape the desert temperatures for a holiday in the UK.

One local resident said: 'Range Rovers don't normally stand out because there are so many of them in London, but this one is different.'

'You can't miss it. It is amazing that the owner, who must be quite rich, decided to have it wrapped gold coloured. It is so eye-catching, but I don't think it will be winning any style awards.

The luxury off-roader was spotted in the car park of the Wellesley Hotel in Knightbridge, opposite Hyde Park

It comes after this ornately-painted Lamborghini Aventador was spotted in the area last summer

The 4x4's gold finish is similar to this Bugati Veyron which was parked outside the Dorchester last year

He added: 'It was parked next to a Rolls-Royce Ghost, and you hardly noticed the Roller. It is not often that a Rolls-Royce looks like the understated car.'

Last year, residents of West London complained the capital was being inundated with supercars, which they claimed were leading to unruly driving.

Petrol-heads were seen driving round wealthy areas of the city in Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bugattis and attracting bands of camera-carrying youngsters, known as the Carparrazzi.

Channel 4 made a documentary about the drivers, called Millionaire Boy Racers, after local residents called for a clampdown.

In 2010, a £1.2 million Koenigsegg CCXR and £350,000 Lamborghini Murcielago were clamped outside famous department store Harrods.

The supercars, like this Lamborghini, are regularly seized by police for over suspicions about their insurance

This bright pink Rolls Royce was among the expensive cars spotted in London last summer

Local residents say their lives have been made a misery by the supercars like these driving around the district

Crowds of tourists watched in disbelief as a traffic warden first ticketed then clamped both vehicles, which were believed to have belonged to the oil-rich Qatari royal family.

It was the first summer in which the so-called 'invasion of Arab supercars' was noticed on London's streets, with a £1 million-plus Bugatti Veyron and a £500,000 Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR, both chrome-finished and with Middle Eastern plates, spotted outside the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge.

It is believed wealthy Arabs from Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia relocate to the capital in the Middle East's hottest summer months and compete over who can show off the most expensive vehicle. 

Experts said insuring some the supercars on London's roads can cost more than £50,000-a-year, with a £15,000 excess.

Last summer, a £350,000 purple and orange Lamborghini was seized by the police after the driver was pulled over, again outside Harrods, because of police concerns about his insurance.

Weeks later the same car was seen back on the streets, but was given a parking ticket just days after police handed it back to the owner.

A policeman talks to the owner of a blue Maserati on a double red line route during the Channel 4 show

This gold and white Bugatti put two Porsches in the shade when it parked outside Harrods last summer

These supercars - a Lamborghini Murcielago and a Koenigsegg CCXR - were seen in Knightbridge's Sheraton Park hotel last summer