His eyes bore into mine. I got that funny feeling that I better not stare at him as much as he was staring back at me. Minutes before, this beautiful creature must have landed on the tree stump near where I parked my car at a hotel right off the highway. I wanted to check in but noticed this animal as I backed into my parking space. Once I got out of my car and walked into the lobby, my initial thought when I returned to the car was that this remarkable bird may not budge for a long while.
While walking the 50 yards back towards my car, this bird’s stare was so intense, yet calm in an uncanny way, that it gave me pause to open the car doors or get into the trunk of my car to retrieve my suitcase and backpack (we were this close!). So I did what anyone would do; I started gently talking to my new friend. I introduced myself, stated my reason for parking where I did and hoped he was having a great day. The hawk remained hawkish - he watched me very closely and paid attention to what I was saying, or so I thought. I continued to talk, and he continued to listen. He even let me take my phone out of my pocket and snap several photos of him stoically posing on the stump. Again, we were this close!
We had a pleasant conversation going he and I. After the photo shoot, or when I decided I had enough pics of this beautiful bird of prey, I put the phone back into my pocket and sighed.
Maybe it was the sigh or my body language, but it was time for him to scram because, as this bird does for a living, he “watches things like a hawk,” including me that day.
He finally figured out that our time together had ended. So with a quick nod and a small flap or two of his wings, he took flight.
I never saw him on the stump the rest of the weekend, yet I’ll never forget him.
bSoleille!
Terri
