The Watchful Eye

  It was such a gorgeous day here on the Bayou, that I had good intentions of taking the old dog, Mr. PJ, for a nice long hike far back into the woods.  There he could experience a whole new world of sights, sounds and scents.  That was the idea but it did not sit too well with the dog.  He decided about ten minutes was enough hiking and wanted to head back to the house.  He is definitely not a Bayou Dog like Ms. Ez was.  She would have just as soon stayed out in the woods with me forever!  The creek bed was her idea of a fine playground and exploring was right up her alley.  So, I walked back to the Little Bayou House and let PJ have his desired nap.  That did not stop me from enjoying this fine day, however, as I continued on my hike without the dog.

  After I was down near where the creek turns to a bog, I got the eerie notion that I was being watched.  The hair started raising on the nape of my neck causing me to know something was keeping a watchful eye on my progress.  Well, there was only one thing to do.  I plopped down on an old log and watched back.  I knew if I sat there long enough, whatever was watching me would get curious enough to show its face.  Slowly, I scanned the area.  The underbrush made it hard to distinguish what was a stump or a critter.  The recent cold snap led me to believe that I had no worries of a snake nearby so I proceeded to scan upwards.  Sure enough, in a dead Black Gum Tree, a pair of golden eyes stared down at me.  From just about twenty feet up, a lovely osprey watched my every move.  How special!

  While I watched the osprey, a happy thought came over me.  The bird was my protector in the absence of the dog.  Had anything threatening appeared, the osprey would have flushed from its perch.  This would have warned me of any critter's (or human's) presence.  These birds (like most critters of the Bayou) are accustomed to me roaming about the place and have little fear of me but others cause them to take flight.  I felt happy knowing that my bird friend was on duty!  My hike was continued and I felt all was right with the world.