Last sit spot
First sit spot
I arrived at my final sit spot session at 11:20am, Wednesday, November 18, 2020. The sun shone at the perfect height in the sky, glistening down on the creek, which was still high from the previous rainfall, turning it a beautiful aqua color. It was about 43 degrees Fahrenheit, which was the coldest it had been out of all my previous sit spot sessions. However, once settled on the Creekside, I felt quite comfortable under the sun’s warm rays. The sky was a brilliant blue without a cloud in sight and the air was clear. Since my last session, the creek had gotten much clearer, but it was still quite high. It was surprising to me to see how fast the environment can change in just a week. Only a handful of trees still held leaves, most of which were brown and shriveled.
It is incredible how much my sit spot has changed overall. The creek that was once a cooling, slow trickle in the summer was now cold and rapid. The foliage that was once lush and green was now bare and dry. The protective, shady canopy of leaves was now non-existent, leaving the bare ground exposed. I could now see the web of spindly tree branches above me, like skeletons of trees. One thing I noticed was the sound of birdsong was not as dense as I thought it would be. Only a few scattered cries could be heard over the sound of the rushing creek. Other than the distant hum of the road and the occasional chirp of a bird, the creek was the only thing I could hear. Unfortunately, I did not see many animals this session other than a fly that landed beside me for a moment. However, when I got up to leave, I noticed snails in the shallows of the creek. There were a lot of them, about twelve in only a 1×1 foot area.
First sit spot
Last sit spot
The three things I chose to observe during my session were the great sycamore in front of me, the burrows within the tree roots across the creek, and the level and condition of the creek as it was influenced by weather and season. First, I looked over the sycamore tree. It had changed greatly, now almost completely bare of leaves in comparison to the lush, green canopy it held my first sit spot. Other than that, the tree had not changed much. Next, I check the burrows. I was unable to tell if they were still in use or not, but I found multiple sets of tracks from different species very close by. None of them seemed to lead up to the burrows, however. I believe the tracks belonged to a raccoon and a squirrel. There were multiple mounds of upturned soil where I think the squirrel had buried its acorns. Finally, I observed the creek. It was probably the easiest thing to keep track of throughout my sessions. It was interesting to see how rainfall, or lack thereof, impacted its level and flow. Although the creek has gone back down after the recent rainfall, it was still quite high with a steady current. I noticed that the rusty sheet of metal had been washed a bit downstream due to the high, raging creek brought upon by the rain.
Last sit spot
First sit spot
Overall, I rather enjoyed the entire sit spot assignment. I love being surrounded by nature and seeing how it changes over time and through the seasons. It was fun to see how the environment impacts wildlife and how wildlife impacts the environment. One thing I wish I could have done again was to see the skunk from my first session! That may have been the most memorable moment during the entire assignment. I also wish I could have seen more reptiles, but I believe I would have more luck finding them in the mid-summer. I finally left my last sit spot session at 12:18pm, Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
Hey Megan, you did a great job on your sit spot in terms of reflecting on the change you have witnessed. When I read your post I thought it was particularly interesting because the items you chose to follow were somewhat similar (or even the same to my own); thus, I thought it was cool that both you and I were able to see the same changes over time, specifically the changes that both the creek and the trees within the forest underwent. I am curious as to whether your sit spot was upstream or downstream because I can only imagine how turbulent the waters would have been and how extensive the flooding would have been if you were, in fact, downstream. Furthermore, I thought those tracks you found were an amazing find! I think it’s great how well preserved they were in the mud, so much so that you were even able to tell the species that made them.
It’s quite interesting how the canopy was a beautiful bright green only a few months ago, yet now most of the trees bare. The overflowing stream is also fascinating, as I can hear it flowing behind me at my sit spot. The animal tracks are also really cool and so well preserved in the mud! I wonder if the tracks belong to the raccoon that has been wandering campus lately! (although I’ve only spotted it in trees in the inner parts of campus so far.)