Here are my observations, below, from my first 30 minute sit spot.  Observing and listing the sounds were the easiest for me. Opening my eyes and observing the action and sites around me was comfortable as well.  I listed both on the sketch book page. Sketching what I was observing was less comfortable.  I needed to work on the following:

1. Deciding what to sketch when there was so much to see, knowing I have a finite period of time and space on the page!

2. I needed to let go of striving for accuracy or a good finished drawing. It was best to relax and have fun.

I sat at a beach right outside of my office. I go for a walk there often, but never really went searching for things to draw. I noticed barnacles and mussels, and learned more about a flower I walk by everyday.

 

Observations of plants come more easily to me, as that is an area I have often studied. Observing moving animals is still pretty outside of the box for drawing, as I usually have to look at something for a long time to get an understanding of how it really looks.I did see some turnstone bathing in a tidepool, but was no able to capture them before they flew away.  

I sat and observed a beech tree, picking it initially because it had knobs along its trunk that reminded me of eyes, watching the rest of the forest. As a sat and drew the tree in my journal, I noticed parts of it that stood out to me - like the scarring on the bark, the leaves falling to the ground as they do at the start of spring, and life emerging at the base of the trunk. I truly felt like I got to know the tree, and even wrote a poem as an ode to the tree.

For me, the kind of observations that come easily to me are the close-up observations, where I am drawing smaller subjects. The observations that require demonstrating further senses: hearing, smell, and touch are harder for me to show in my journal. I am learning techniques, like sound mapping to represent the sounds of the forest, but still need to work on my drawing skills to show touch.

I am not able to go out and find a sit spot at this time. I went onto the Internet and found the Decorah Eagles Webcam live and watched the Bald eagle.  I heard lots of different things.  That was the easy part.  Drawing the layers of feathers on the eagle was pretty hard.  I watched long enough that the eagle repositioned itself and I could then see that there was an eaglet underneath!  Super a cool. Just before it moved, I noticed the back half of a small fish and some fur.  I suppose the eagle keeps a stash of food.  I really wasn’t expecting to see all that I saw watching a webcam!

Snowy here but enjoyable to take a few minutes out of my day and just be outside. No birds at first but they started showing up as I sat quietly watching.

Resido en CDMX, camine a un parque urbano cerca de casa. Al principio no tenía mucha motivación porque observé esta clase a mediodía, pero decidí no dejarlo para después.

A pesar de los sonidos de la ciudad y de una obra en construcción muy cerca del parque, los pinzones y zanates coninuaban con sus cantos y llamadas. Aparecieron  aves urbanas le presté atención a su comportamiento, unas bañándose, otras buscando material para nidos, otras comiendo en pareja.

Regresé a casa con un mejor estado de ánimo.

It’s in the image - beautiful day and temperatures-

January 24th 5:20 pm it’s dark outside and feels like -20c.  It’s quiet and peaceful beside the wood stove as I look back into one of my sketch books.  I have been nature journaling for 23 years now and enjoy every moment. Here is an entry in one of my journals of time spent in the badlands of Alberta in early May.  I was delighted and excited to see these flowers blooming in the harsh dry conditions at Dinosaur Provincial Park. The wind was blowing constantly and it wasn’t very warm yet but these tiny flowers were inspiring. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to sit and observe these tiny gems.

 

The weather is abysmal here in the UK at the moment, and as a disabled person it's really not safe for me to venture out on the icy path so I decided to my sit in my safe space of my own back garden (from our conservatory!) I will try and do this periodically throughout the year to see what changes I notice in the garden, especially the visiting birds.

I went to a spot I generally stop at on my morning walk - but this time I took my nature journal. It is along the foreshore near a place called Mon Repos beach. It was a little hard to journal as the wind was blowing strong, but it made the waves dance and the ocean looked magnificent. I am quite in tune with observing as I enjoy bird watching. However, as I didn't go super early and the wind was up, there were no birds calling. Just the cicadas and the many different noises from the wind. This place changes constantly and I will journal here regularly from now on to the document the daily and seasonal changes.

I’m not far from where I live. It’s about 60 degrees and there’s a gentle breeze. It’s just a wee bit cool, and the warmth of the sun feels terrific. I’m looking at how the plant life has lost its summertime color, but at the same time I’m seeing how very beautiful the sage, light golden brown, and whitish beige colors are. I’m seeing how many shades of sage and light brown there can be. And I’m seeing just how many shades of whitish beige there can be as well. I’m eying the leaves that are still clinging to the branches and noticing how fragile, yet tenacious they are. I’m looking at the pine leaves and how green they are. I’m looking at the texture of the bark on the trees and their different colors. I’m looking at the patterns of the bark as it comes loose from the tree trunks and how striking those patterns are. I’m looking at the shapes of the branches and how twisted and gnarly they are. I’m enjoying the brightness of the sunshine and gentle breeze. The rustling sound of the wind against the dried leaves has captured my attention. It’s not the sound of running water. It’s a different sound and it’s just as soothing.

I like to observe small things, take a close look, and examine the details and stories they might have to share. I find seemingly insignificant objects and objects that won't sit still harder to study, but I know everything big and small is worth documenting, which is what I will practice doing!

I went to a favorite overlook along the Platte River, it was just as the sun was coming up.  What another amazing visit and I filled almost two pages (and was enthralled for a half hour).  Watching the light paint different parts of the scene was fantastic.

I left feeling energized and excited about continuing this adventure, and yet so calm and at peace.

I always notice the light, sounds, and animals when I'm there.  Noticing the smells and feeling the air movement can be more challenging.

It’s as if by majic that after sitting for just a short time, the animals around begin to feel more comfortable and begin to ‘come out’ like the yellow bellied marmot who lives in our wood pile

I have a sit spot that I have visited many times. I enjoy the view from this ridge down into the valley. I often see a lot of wildlife traveling trough the valley. On one particularly pleasant early fall afternoon I sat on my usual log. The air was crisp and clear. The birds and squirrels were busy with their winter preparations. There were dry leaves on the ground  all around me. I could hear the squirrels as they rustled amongst them, stashing away their acorns. Often the rustling squirrels came within a few feet of me on my log. I sat and enjoyed the fall air and the warm sun on my face as I soaked in the nature all around me. I sat and observed the birds that were flitting in and out of the trees.  Mostly I ignored the squirrels while they worked behind me, however at some point I noticed rustling getting closer and closer to me. I didn't dare turn, for fear of spooking the animal away. Eventually I chanced a quick peek over my shoulder. I was not expecting what I saw in that brief second. Quite noticeably was the color of my visitor. A distinct black and white creature ambled directly towards me on my log. I froze, not wanting to spook it and not knowing where it was going, I thought it best to remain still. As I remained on my log the visitor came closer, and closer. It must not be to concerned about my presence! I sat quietly, now watching as he came towards me. He paused, sniffed the ground, and proceeded. Before I knew it the skunk was heading into the entrance of his den, which also happened to be under my log! I remained on my log for awhile longer, until I  was sure my new friend wouldn't resurface from below our log. I slowly stepped away from the log and walked away quietly as I reflected on my visitor and how comfortable he was with my presence there. Perhaps he was undisturbed by me due to my frequent presence in that location and the scent I left behind. Or perhaps I was so immersed in the environment that neither of us felt threatened by the other. Either way, it was one of my favorite sit spot experiences.

Others noted that they planned to sit for 15-20 minutes and ended up staying a lot longer. This happened to me too!

I sat in a park, and one of the things that stood out to me was how prominent the noise of the city was (even in my residential area). It wasn't a very windy day, so the only nature sounds audible were birds. The volume of the city noise really surprised me. I guess I tend to tune it out.

I spent a lot of time noticing how the morning light was illuminating things. It got into some larch branches and made them almost glow, the ground was dappled with sunlight and shade, and through some backlit leaves on the ground I could see silhouettes of the grass behind them.

I also enjoyed paying attention to the smells of the morning. We have four very distinct seasons where I live, with four very distinct transitions between them, and the smells of the morning were very much "of this season".

At the end of my sit I began to notice insects more. Three wasps were investigating the ground nearby.

I had twenty minutes planned... Ended up sitting for 28 instead. I find writing my observations more difficult since I'm more used to drawing what I see. I loved colouring in the plants I saw and doodling the small details I noticed around me.



Edit: RWBL means Red-winged Blackbird ^^

The time went much quicker than I expected. I found that everything I saw gave me more questions. Overall, a lovely experience. I never would have thought to just sit and listen with my eyes closed or to breath deeply and take in the smells without Liz's tips.