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Had a beautiful 20 minutes at Cresent Lake Park.  Would like a lesson on how to draw ripples on the water!  And shadows! I’ve also seen many birds after sitting for 15 minutes on the front porch. My next observation will be at night - I really want to ‘hear’ the neighborhood screech owls and see our wonderful bats.

My sit spot today was the window in the kitchen nook.  We placed a few bird feeders in the yard and now we have a bunch of house finches coming to visit.  There were so many so I chose to draw them every time they landed on the feeder that gave me a side view.  It took them about ten minutes to come back to the feeder since I know they saw me in the window.  Other than that, they did a lot of swooping in and out.

My sit spot today was in my garden at Stanford, CA.  I sat for about 20 mins watching birds come and go from a little tree that grows near the fence. There is a water dish for the birds on a stump under this tree which attracts a variety of birds which today included a Bewick's wren, oak titmouse, lesser goldfinch and maybe a pine siskin. Anna's hummingbirds frequently perch on this same tree in-between their visits to their garden feeder. I was able to make observations about the weather, sounds and state of the garden. 

I completed my sit spot this afternoon, in Ottawa,Ontario (Canada), at a stormwater facility pond.  I sat for about 30 minutes, in the afternoon.  I definately plan to return there for another sitting :).  I saw the colours, noticed the sunlight shining through the various grasses and plants, and took time to notice things like the air, temperature, and sounds.  This process was very meditative...and immersive! The observations that come easily are the more obvious ones, like cat-tails, taller swaying grasses, and the pond water.  It took some time, but I noticed the milkweed, how it has dried up now in Autumn, and how fuzzy white hairs were spilling out of them.  I questioned what the fuzzy white things were, also wondered if they were the same fluffs in the wind and air all around me.  Upon closer inspection, from seated position and then later picking up a fallen seed, I realized yes, the fuzzy stuff coming out of the milkweed are in fact seeds that probably have those hairs sticking out of them because they help them fly around and spread.  I definately want to follow the milkweed through the 4 seasons and see what happens! Keep you all posted :) Alisha

I went on my screened back porch. I sit there most days but really observed today. The signs of fall are all around. It was very relaxing to just observe and put all other things out of my mind. Sketching some of the things I observed is something I haven't done before.

I chose a corner of my yard for the first sit. I love this 'observe and record' method and can't wait to try more locations as the weather gets nicer.  Having an assignment really helped me slow down and be intentional.  I could smell smoke from a wildfire, the temp was 97º, the neighbor's dog was barking, but I felt it was a positive experience.  At one point a hummingbird hovered above me and I was the one being observed.  The hardest part of the whole thing was to close my eyes and breathe.  I will remember to do that more often.

This was my first sit spot experience. I sat in a city park close by, in a windy morning. Sounds came more easily; with time, I started to notice more details of light/ shadow/ dark in trees, birds, vegetation... Birds moved, so it was challenging to draw them. After sitting still & drawing for about an hour, I walked a bit and passed by a big pine tree. I've seen this tree several times before. But for the first time I looked at it with different eyes, which made me want to come back again, sit still and draw it!

I noticed the Carolina Wren darts precariously in and out of brush in my backyard and usually forages alone, while other birds do so in pairs.  I started the sketch outside and finished the details of it after my sit-sketch, looking up its latin taxonomy and order and family on allaboutbirds.org :) Had I not been still, I doubt this bird would've appeared with me otherwise.

1 -It was lovely! I was shocked to see how quickly the light changes though. As a result, representing the light was challenging. I feel like I "zoned out" for a while because I spent an hour instead of 20 minutes, but honestly thought it has only been 15 or 20 minutes. 2-Listening to the sounds around me felt natural, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much time I could observe just by smelling the air. Sounds crazy when I write this but in the moment, it made so much sense.

Observing nature is something I'm familiar with, but I hadn't sat down and written down observations in a while. I tried one a couple of days ago, but it was already the afternoon and I could hear a lot of landscaping work going on nearby. It was simply too loud for me to concentrate, even though I did see some things. The next day, I went out twice. The first time was pretty early in the morning and I observed quite a lot of things going on around me, trying to use all my senses. Later, I went out with my dad after breakfast to a local spot we visit sometimes. I didn't think about doing a sit spot exercise because I had already done one that day. However, as we sat watching the river, I found myself noticing a lot of other things. There were squirrels behind us and birds occasionally calling that we couldn't see. I started to record things and I found that it came naturally to me. I have always been sensitive to sound, so those kinds of observations come more easily to me. And when there is sound, I usually can see the source. I think I've always been a "use all my senses" kind of person, so I wouldn't say that any of them are things I don't notice as much. However, I think I've never put thought into actively noticing a smell unless it's a strong smell. In this exercise, I learned that it's important to take note of the subtle smells, too. The season is changing from summer to autumn, and I can certainly tell just by smell. One last thing to note is that sometimes there are so many things going on that it's hard to write them all down. Or I'll be observing something, but be torn between observing and recording. I think being in the moment is more important though, and I can record a little something of it later so I can remember.

This sitting still is a normal activity for me, but focusing on all the senses was a good way to be more aware.

I like the long list of the experience of being in nature verse, the labeling of specimens. This may have to do with not liking the look of when add too much writing I feel like it jumbles the composition.

1. I sat in our crabapple tree in our yard, which has pretty good wildlife, that ranges from rabbits to deer. I liked sitting there, and it was helpful that plants and trees don’t just fly away, like birds, so I could pay attention to bark, the branches etc. 2. The form of the tree was a bit exotic, and fun to capture, but nothing about drawing it was too odd.

Enjoyed this exercise, with quiet time I began to notice so many things going on I had to choose just a few to concentrate on. Thanks for the walking suggestion.

Pleasant early morning scanning my pumpkin patch. Many healthy plants and a few who have succumbed to the backyard bullies. I spied a likely culprit and he stared back defiantly as drew his likeness. Grandpa Ott greets the day like a royal trumpeter in fine purple robes—my morning glory is a wonder! I never fail to step on my favorite nemesis, the sweet gum ball. Pain and pleasure, beauty and bugs...my sit spot.

1. My first sit spot experience too. Sitting on the steps of our large deck overlooking our garden, while my 2 year old daughter painted at her easel nearby. This exercise showed me that it doesn't take much time to have mindful moment in nature. I worked through each of my sense to focus on what I was experiencing, so I could better record it. Overall, a special moment. 2. The differences in colours and textures came quickly, sounds and feelings took a little longer.

This was my first sit-spot experience. I was a bit disappointed at first because I’m residing in an urban area with not many safe choices. But I picked a small, safe space on the edge of a community living spot. The trees are mainly over a fence and not close enough to examine well. There are no observable animals and lots of nearby human activity, so I just brought seeds for animals and left them at the edge of the woods... it’s too early to know if they will soon come out. But I sat last night - after rains - and just drew trees (pines, crape myrtle) and landscaping and noted whatever came into my mind. (Quotations at times surface,) When I returned inside, I added color to my drawings. I also had to figure out what the blooming trees were. Even tho the sit spot went totally differently than I’d hoped, I still learned a great deal and turned it into a collage(s) which I can share with friends. That’s where the human/nature connections happen! Thx for your guidance. 

It was nice to get out after a day of rain, but I was only able to go into my garden. It was neat hearing and seeing  everything coming alive after being quiet for the rain. I did notice it was hard at times for me to ignore “human sounds” like traffic. This sitting reminded me of when my mom and I went out birding when I was a kid. I have always loved the solitude and connectedness I feel in nature.

Comparing to  other sit spot experiences, this one was different in terms of being more aware of surroundings and documenting my observations. I noticed how the color of leaves changes according to sunlight. This is the image from my journal in which I recorded my observations of surrounding setting.    

For this exercise I chose to do a walk instead of a sit spot. Mosquitoes are preventing my stopping in one place for too long. I did choose one particular area as my focus. It was easier for me to notice details in birds than with plants. I am anxious to observe a different area than one I am familiar with. I could see that one page may not be enough for some spots. I already have other sit spots in mind.

I sat just the one time. I hear very well, so i was listening since I wasn't seeing much that caught my eye to draw except the tiny things like the ant carrying the piece of leaf.

I first sat close to a palm tree, I didn't think I could draw anything from a moving subject, so I chose a plant. The following day I found a black skimmer nesting site, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to draw the fast moving birds, fortunately there dozens of birds and there several of them in the same pose, that helped me a lot. I stayed there for more than two hours and finally they didn't pay much attention to me, and started moving closer, which helped me a lot.

My sit spot was in Heidelberg's (DE) old graveyard. This massive Friedhof hugs the side of a hill and is shaded by towering trees of all kinds. I found a relatively quiet spot along one of the less travelled paths with views into the canopy from side on and below. The canopy and undergrowth was humming with life! It was amazing! I noticed so many new species of birds that I've never spotted in Europe before (probably because I had not taken the time to wait for them to emerge). And they were quite curious about me too funnily enough.