Time (11:30am-12:45pm)
When I was choosing my sit-spot I wanted a place that was nice to look at but wasn’t in the middle of nowhere. I knew this was the perfect place because there wasn’t much near it but it was also easy to navigate main buildings when its time to leave. I also really love the pond and had never seen it prior to doing this. It’s also nice how the trees and bushes surround the pond rather than the pond being beside them. I feel like that makes it much more fun to look at. It was also really great to spend some time on campus since I commute and I’m usually at home more then school.
My favorite part of my sit-spot was the tuning in. As soon as I started to sit and listen I heard various sounds. The cicadas were the loudest and most consistent sound the entire time. I also really liked the bubbling from the water in the pond. There were various birds in the area and I knew this because some had higher pitched chirps while others were lower in pitch. I could hear the vibration of insect wings and how fast they were moving. It was really calming to listen to.
Sketch of sit-spot
Cardinal Directions
All of the plants at my sit-spot were super green. Thats the first thing I noticed while observing. They were all various shades of green as well. Some were super bright light green while others were a darker richer green. Lastly this certain type of tree looked almost ashy green. Not super bright but not very dark either. The trees at my sit-spot all had their leaves/pine needles intact. The only tree I could identify as soon as I saw it was the pine tree. One other tree stuck out to me because of its leaves and the way they fell reminded me of a curtain.
The ground was really green as well. There were some more yellow/brown parts of the grass, but I think its because it was cut one or two days prior. There was also lots of clumps of cut grass everywhere. One thing I remember vividly from my time at my sit-spot was how hard the ground was beneath me. It hurt to sit down after a while because there wasn’t that much plush to the grass.
The grass
I only saw one animal the whole time and that was a squirrel. It was very energetic and had a really interesting way of moving. It ran but it also hopped as well. For insects I saw a really cute white butterfly multiple times that day. I also saw some smaller insects in the grass but I wasn’t able to identify them. I don’t have any pictures of them because I was observing and writing in my journal and they were gone by the time I finished.
The things I chose to follow was the pond, a bird house, and the tree that resembled a curtain. First I chose the pond because its big and theres lots to look at. Second I chose the bird house in hopes of seeing some use it in the future. And lastly the tree that resembles a curtain because I’ve never seen a tree like that and I want to know what it looks like as the seasons change. Will it change color? Leaves fall off? Does it stay that way regardless of the season?
Bird House
Another Tree
Curtain Tree in background
Pine Needles
Curtain Tree Leaves
More Tree Leaves
Lastly, I think my first sit-spot went pretty well. It was really nice outside. The sun was shining and the sky was blue, not a cloud in sight. It was relaxing and fun. I’m excited to visit my sit-spot again and see how things change throughout the months.
I really like how straight-forward, yet detailed, your writing is. I’m glad you enjoyed your experience outside, especially with you being a commuter student!
Do you have any guesses as to which types of birds you heard? Maybe at some point you might get to see them for a better prediction (maybe in the birdhouse?)
Also, I wonder if there are any fish in the pond! It looks like it might carry some very tiny fish.
Good luck for next time, and I hope it goes as well or better 🙂