Went fly fishing today, caught the skunk....and an owl?!

Today, I went fly fishing at Jess Ranch Lakes in Apple Valley, Ca. It was a cold morning (mid 30's, and ccccold for California!) and the water temps were in the high 40's, low 50's.

The fishing wasn't so good, and I left my float tube around 11am to get out of the cold water and warm my bones under the sun's rays. Little did I know, the highlight of this "fishing day" would have nothing to do with a fish! I was walking around our lake observing many, many different bird species including many of my very favorite bird family, raptors. There were soaring red tail hawks, perched ospreys, coopers hawks, and an owl. I first saw this owl perched in a very odd locale beneath a 2x12 spanning a narrow concrete water channel with just a few inches of ice cold water running through it. I thought it was one of those plastic owls you see when people try to keep pigeons away. I kept a good distance and started shooting pics. I slowly closed the gap while taking more pics. Once I realized his head was the only thing moving (to watch me), and his talons, legs, tail and behind were in the cold water, I deduced he might be in distress. This video shows the events as they unfolded. Please enjoy.