Congratulations on a new personal best. If you would have shown me this image prior to the challenge and asked for my opinion, I would have told you that you would be killed by the DNMC police. The only connection to morning I see in this image is the light on the left side of the owl's face. The warm color of the light hints that this was taken near sunrise or sun set. The fact that you received no 1 or 2 votes indicates that technically great photos can score well or that most of the DNMC police live in the registered member group and could not vote on this image. Either way, this image has a lot of Wow to it and deserves the solid score it received.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.
Seriously under-rated, in my opinion. This was my top choice. I think the detail is outstanding and the fact that the close crop highlights those great eyes makes this a top-notch image.
Wow! Amazing detail. This is a stunning photo! I'm guessing you may be taking some hits from the DNMC police -- but I will certainly counter that with my vote because I am just amazed at the quality of this photo!!! Fantastic job! 9
Although this is an outstanding close-up of the owl, it just doesn't scream "Morning" to me. It is quite sharp, and the hint of light seems that it could be morning light.