Sit-spot #2 Tuesday 09/22/2020 12:33-1:45
When I arrive to my sit-spot I choose to sit about 12 or so feet away from the start of the water. I try to sit directly in the middle of the grass so I have a good view of the entire area and its surroundings in my view. This helps me when I write in my journal because it gives me a larger scene to observe. One of the first things I noticed was the drop in temperature. My first time doing my sit-spot, it was the perfect temperature but this time it was pretty cold. When observing this time around I paid a lot of attention to the sky. One reason being is that there were a lot of planes passing over so my attention was always being drawn to the sky. The second reason was because I finally saw some birds and I wasn’t just hearing them. I think one bird was a hawk because it had a large wing span. The other birds were smaller and resembled hummingbirds except the beak was shorter.
So far fall changes are making an appearance little by little. I noticed an increase of leaves on the ground and trees starting to change colors. The pine tree to the right of me had a huge number of pinecones hanging from it that I didn’t recognize the last time I was there. Besides leaves falling and the colors of them changing there isn’t a lot of other differences at the moment. The three things I followed last time have made some slight changes since I viewed them last. First the tree I kept referring to is a weeping willow tree and I mentioned if its leaves change or fall off, and they do! The weeping willows leaves fall off and turn an ashy grey color. Leaving behind a thin branch that hangs down. Secondly, the bird house actually has nesting in it. I don’t know if I’ll ever see anything occupying it. Maybe there will be eggs. I will have to to keep monitoring it. Lastly, the pond seemed to be more awake than last time.
When I finally got up to explore I actually went around the entire perimeter of my sit spot. I did this because I
was really curious about what was across the pond from where I was sitting. I remember at my first sit-spot I wanted to do that. I finally got really close to the pond and looked at it from all directions. There was a large variety of trees and bushes that I didn’t even know were there. I was hearing so many different noises that I hadn’t noticed from the spot I was sitting at. I also discovered that the pond isn’t that deep at all. I was glad to see fish and other insects occupying the water. I examined the birdhouse further and shined a flashlight in and took pictures. I really tried to take in all the different things living in the pond as well.
I really enjoyed walking around my sit-spot since it was something I wanted to do from day 1. There was so much to see in the area that I wouldn’t have noticed had I not explored further. It also put into perspective just how large the pond and the area of land surrounding it is. I probably took a picture every time I walked a couple of feet because there was so much to take in and observe. In the future I will probably try to include doing that again just so I can see if things are changing there as well.
After realizing the tree I was observing was a weeping willow I researched some about it and found out that its roots grow under and above ground so it can intake as much water as possible. They actually thrive near water so it makes since that it sits at the edge of the pond. Next I observed some water bugs in the pond. They have adapted by using the surface tension of the water to stay on top of it so they don’t sink. Lastly, I observed the fish since I didn’t see any my first time. Their adaption was pretty obvious and that is their gills. Their gills allow them to live underwater without the need to come up for air.
My second sit-spot was really fun. Getting to explore the area made me appreciate my sit-spot even more!
I’ve always wondered that about weeping willows thanks for finding that out. Do you think you will be continuing to focus on the sky in the future or will you focus more on the water?
I noticed a drop in temperature in my sit spot as well, however, my sit spot is in a different location. I wonder if the fish have an adaptation from living in the pond versus the creek where my sit spot is?