I arrived at my sit spot at 4:00 pm November 14th, dusk had set in. I have never been to my sit spot at this time of day, mostly because I have Ecology lab until 4:30 on Thursdays and general run errands afterwards. I chose this time because it was right at the brink of dusk and I figured that I would meet some new organisms at this time. I did not necessarily want to sit out at dark by myself, so right before sunset was the perfect time. I also figured I would get to experience my sit spot in a new light, literally and figuratively.

My sit spot has changed a lot since the last session in a considerable short period of time. The large tree that I have been observing was just changing colors last session but has lost all its leaves this time. The smaller tree that was bare to begin with but still had its color has changed a lot as well. The tree has lost a large amount of the leaves it had left and the ones still hanging on have turned brown. The weather was frigid, around thirty degrees, and a nice breeze was blowing through the valley. This is way colder than I am used to so sitting outside for a long period of time was not easy for me. The sky was full of grey clouds, barely any blue peaking through. This new experience with my sit spot was not quite as enjoyable as the rest, mostly because of the weather. I would consider going back out to my sit spot at this time again once it warms up, which isn’t happening anytime soon so probably not.

During this blog session I was greeted upon arrival by a hawk, not sure what kind but it stood out very quickly. At first glance I was amazed that blue jays got that big, I soon realized that it was too big to be a blue jay. I then realized that the other birds, blue jays and cardinals, were avoiding this guy at all costs. The rather large intruder then landed on a branch which allowed me to get a closer look. I then knew why the blue jays and cardinals were avoiding this guy, because he is a predator. This was new to my sit spot I have heard many hawks but never seen any on in the trees around me. The hawk seemed to be searching for something to eat, but I think I might have scared him off trying to get a good picture. I also got to see a female cardinal for a brief second while setting my spot up, which is unusual for my sit spot. She was flying away from the hawk that was hanging around, and I hoped she would come back after he left but she did not. This is not the first time I have seen a cardinal, but it is a rare occasion, especially with all the blue jays around.

I think the hawk sighting was directly related to the time of day I went to sit at my spot. This is because he was looking for a meal and the cluster of birds at my sit spot make it an easy target. Other than the hawk all the other birds are regulars at my sit spot, which I enjoy very much. This session was much colder than last session and less enjoyable for sure. That is probably the main difference in my two sessions, just the changing of the weather is coming considerably fast.