Splish-splash...

see him?

He was taking a bath! And if I'd had a fully charged battery in my camera, you'd be looking at a semi-decent shot of an owl bathing in Spring Lake. But no, my only option was the camera on my dinosaur of a cell phone, so you'll just have to squint and take my word for it. That's the owl in the ripplet of water off the point!
It's unusual to see an owl during the day, so I was surprised when I first spotted him this morning about 7:30...on the rocks at Gormans' shoreline. He sat awhile, peering into the water, took a drink, then slowly stepped into the lake and began to flap his wings, creating a nifty shower for himself.

rock camouflage...and island preening

By the time my camera battery got a slight charge, he had returned to the rocks, proof positive that it was indeed the owl. He perched for just a few minutes, then flew off to the safety of the small island, where he dropped his wings and fluffed his feathers to air dry. The zoom on my little camera doesn't do it justice, and I feel like I lost a great opportunity to document a unique event on Spring Lake. I'm thinking iPad2 HD video might be the thing. Just sayin'....
P.S. When I saw this YouTube video, it occurred to me that the owl might have been waiting for the Gormans' irrigation system to start but opted for a bath instead. Who knew!