The Watcher Bird

   Most of the time, people watch birds.  I watch birds.  Their antics amuse me and it has been instilled in me by a favorite (late) cousin, that I should identify birds.  I try.  Fairie Lyn was far better at it than I will ever be.  Birds were her passion.  Birds are an amusement to me.  Sometimes, however, the birds do the watching.

There is a bird that visits the pier often.  Each morning, I can find the Little Green Heron sitting next to one of the posts.  It is watching.  "Watching for what" is the question that bothers me.  Is the bird merely watching to see when the minnows get trapped in tide pools?  Is it watching for the gator to come and go so it feels safer?  Or, is it merely watching the waves and is mesmerized by the motion?  Whatever it is doing, the bird is so absorbed that it rarely hears me approach.  When it does, it will move to the other side of the post and continue staring out over the water. 

  I sort of feel at one with this bird.  I can watch the water for hours on end, too.  There is, indeed, something mesmerizing about the movement of the waves.  It is calming and causes one to become lost in deep thought.  I understand the bird's wish to be undisturbed in its oblivion.  I am right there with you, bird friend.

Hiding Out!

  Sometimes, you just have to find a secret spot and hide out for a while.  It is a good way to collect your thoughts, find inner peace and do a bit of meditation.  It is, also, a good way to escape the heat!  While I had no idea of hiding out today, a sweet friend decided it was the best way to spend the day.

  After lunch today, a trip to the compost was necessary.  The walk to the pile takes me past the Frog Pond which is where my sweet friend resides.  Yep, it is a frog.  Try as I might, I could not find my little buddy.  Just as I was beginning to think a coon or fox had caught the frog, a small croak made me realize otherwise.  The critter was merely hiding from the bright sunshine and heat of the day.  On one part of the bank, a rather large piece of driftwood has been strategically placed to create a ramp for turtles or any other stranded critters that cannot climb the steep incline.  Part of this driftwood sits about four inches above the pond edging and that is where the froggy was hiding.  He had found a nice shady spot to spend the midday!  Smart frog!

  It is a little known fact that frogs can breathe through their skin.  When the frog is completely underwater, all of its oxygen is absorbed through its skin but even when the frog is ashore, that process can take place.  It does however have to remain in a cool, moist spot to allow for this. This is the main reason frogs are more active at night and hide during the day.  When the night air cools and the humidity rises, the skin stays damp.  During the daytime, a frog will hide beneath a log (or driftwood, in Froggy's case), in some crevice or nestled deep in mulch.  Not only is Froggy staying cool, he is breathing!  Breathe in, breathe out (even if it through your skin! Find your peace, Froggy!