This was very engaging for me.  Sitting still is not my forte!  I surprised myself by staying for the whole 20 minutes on the sixth step of twelve looking down on a patio of flagstone, and above and to the right of me was a cascade of wisteria coming from a grassy area with bird feeders.  To the left were two tall fig trees, and in front of me even taller sets of river birches.  I was captivated to hear and see birds return after flying away when I first sat down. The silence lasted for minutes, but slowly I began to hear many different bird calls, at one point it was true cacophony!  A catbird practically shouted at me, and a sparrow came to drink water from a puddle about 20 feet in front of me.  When I turned my head, he/she flew away, but then crept back to the puddle to drink and splash again.  Some birds practically landed on my head when flying by!  Another sight that expanded my sense of observation was the number/variety of "greens" that could be identified as I sat there turning my head to the left and right, above and tho the ground.  It is summer here and the trees have all leafed out, grasses are tall and bearing seeds, and flowers are in all states of development.  I was also aware of the many different shapes and textures of leaves and seeds I could see from the fuzzy lamb's ear plant to a waxy succulent and a shiny reflective leaf from a birch tree. The weather was sunny although a thunderstorm was expected.  It never came.  What a peaceful time!

Today was rainy, so I sat on my front porch. At first, it was hard to sit and be still. I look around and listen often. But this was different. I paid far more attention and noticed more. I heard a blue jay call. I don't think they are common in my neighborhood, or are they? Are they around, but I don't tune into them? Squirrels spiraled down the tree trunk. I've seen them do that often, but today, I asked "Why do they spiral?" When attending to measurements, I noticed the huge difference in size and shape of the hosta leaves right next to the door. 

My first/second sit spot was in my backyard June ?, 2020 it was a fairly nice day, although not very sunny since it was still early. As soon as I got out of the house, I noticed a small egg lying beside the lilac bush, so I decided to investigate... there was a dogwood petal attached to the shell that was broken open, so I ran over to the dogwood tree that we have and looked around. There were no other shells on the ground and in the tree, there was one empty and small nest that didn't look like it had been used. A few days before, there had been a windy storm and so the egg probably got brought here by a crow or something, then the rain glued the petal onto the egg and blew it over to the lilac bush. it was a fun adventure, and I did some sketches to remember; pic's not great quality but still legible the next sit spot i did was at my friend's house, SHE GOT CHICKS!!!. so i had to draw them.. i probably spent 2 hours watching them...

June 14    15 degrees Celcius. A very mild sunny day with a slight breeze.  Sit spot exercise. I did not do any drawing with this activity, I just sat quietly taking notes and I observed. I found it a very relaxing 15 minute exercise. For 15 mins I sit quietly in my yard. I hear the rustling of the bushes, the cooing of a peaceful dove. The flapping wings of erratic flight of a little wattlebird as it forages in the bush. The breeze is cool. The sun shimmers across the grass creating bright-lit blades and shadowy areas.  I can smell the dampness of previous rains. The clouds are light grey and are a thin blanket in areas. I hear starlings singing and a Mynah bird passes quickly by. The lorikeet are now screeching and the mudlark is singing out with its tinny ringing voice.  I can hear the gentle chirping of the thornbill birds. The dove continues to coo. The rustling trees get louder as the wind picks up. I can hear a blackbird is chirping, slightly alarmed as it runs along the back fence. The bottlebrush has few flowers this time of year but the bees still hover in search of nectar. My Apricot trees remaining autumn leaves are barely hanging on as the tree gently blows in the breeze.  

I went to  a shallow water beach a bit after 07:30 a.m. I was able to spot birds from a distance hunting/fishing for their morning treats. I focused my attention to a heron ; Western Reef. I tried to  quickly sketch different gestures while watching. Then another one arrived, which was much active than the first one. I liked the reflection so I included it in my quick sketches. Then, I tried to sketch the first one and  to give some sense of the environment around him. Shallow water, rocks and shells forming lines one before the heron and the other is far behind it. This framed the heron in the middle of lines ; sea, rocks , shallow water, then again the rocks and shells and the shallow water. The sun was rising and the weather was getting humid, therefore, I decided to sketch the heron that I photographed several days ago in the same area. After sketching it quickly, I though there is a missing feeling between the quick sketches of the same bird and the final sketch from a photograph. Can you feel the difference too? I didn't write much -- I went back indoors quarter after 8 because the weather was getting warmer and warmer (I should've got myself an umbrella or some sort of shades (and a water!). I'm planning to go there again and to sketch the tinny small red crabs that makes plenty of tinny small sand balls! I consider them to be the artists of the shore ; they form WOW shapes on the sand - worth observing!

Sitting and enjoying the calm was no problem. In drawing I noticed details I would not have otherwise...lighting for example made me very aware of the feeling of the atmosphere around me. That led me to notice the way the breeze moved through the area I was sitting in. Writing down my questions did two things. First, it made me relax because I knew I could try to find out more later. Second, I responded by trying to see if I could notice more that would help me answer on my own. That in turn led to new observations. Finally, I was surprised by the level of sound all around me. Usually, I just hear the birds. Of course, I did hear the birds and was intrigued by how many more calls and songs I heard as they adjusted to my presence. But beyond that there was lots of rustling (some turned out to be a busy chipmunk) and buzzing of a variety of insects and the noise of the foliage moving in the wind.

I loved this exercise, it is something I do often.  We have a second home in Idaho, very remote, I often wander the property for hours at a time. Now I can put my observations down on paper and refer back to them to research what I have found. I notice birds more then others so the bird IDs are easy but I have just started to ID plants. I am becoming more aware of what is an invasive plant versus a native plant. Im not sure what would be 'outside of the box' for me, maybe insects.

From my sit spot in my yard,

My sit spot is my porch. I have been observing nature from my porch for years. I watch the birds and squirrels and chipmunks. I watch the changing of the seasons. I listen for what birds are present. What was new was how layered the visions are and how hard it is to capture that on paper. I drew the tress but what about what was behind the tress? I drew the rhododendron but what is on the ground in front of and behind the rhododendron? The other layer is the layer of color. The rhododendron's flowers are ink, some brighter, some paler capturing that is hard. And where was the sky?

During this time of pandemic isolation and restricted movement here in Australia I have been enjoying the change of pace and getting out into natural spaces near to home when I can.  It is nice to be able to spend time just sitting  noticing and wondering.  Here are a few of my Journalling attempts

I found this a very difficult task. I was cold, next time I bring something to sit on. The ground was wet from rain the day before. I did enjoy the bright sunshine though. The birds were busy but I noticed the insects the most. I think the bush I was sitting next to must have been a favorite spot for flying insects of all kinds. Maybe they were enjoying the sun while keeping out of the cool winds. They were smarter than I was. :)

I am familiar with sitting quietly and making observations but it has been awhile since I have done it. I typically focus on bird songs and keep track of how many species I hear, but today I looked more closely and the trees budding out around me. I noticed that they are not all at the same stages, even within the same species. This got me wondering about why this might be. Could it be soil, sun, wind exposure? I very much enjoyed myself and I plan on doing this for a few days.

This is the view of my sit spot, which is from the front porch facing East. I started my first observation today (Mother’s Day 2020). I get the morning sun followed by the shade of the huge saw-toothed oak, a pink crape myrtle, a willow tree, and another unknown hardwood tree. This is also one of two of my bird count spots where I have many different feeders and suet feeders filled with brush dog fur for nesting in the spring. Lots of things come easy to me on observations. I am usually sitting here daily enjoying the nature around me. The things that are more “outside of the box” for me, are adding drawings to my journals. Usually I am putting actual leaves 🍁, flowers 🌸, & twigs in my journals or a display case instead of drawing because I don’t think I can draw what I see well. I’m definitely seeing some improvement.

Unike Nancy (below), it has been snowing here, so sitting outside was a bit chilly; nevertheless, I gave it a try.  The first time a few days ago, I was focusing on birds and had a very difficult time attempting to draw them.  This second time I focused on flowers and tree fungus which sat still!  Very enjoyable, and shows me how very much I have yet to learn.

I’ve been waiting for the temperature to cool down from the 90’s to get outside.  This afternoon, it was 75 degrees and beautiful out for my first sit spot in the backyard.  Loved it!

I had planned to go to a forest and to do the exercise, then I met a friend and she introduces me to another forest close by. I have done the exercise when I was alone, when we left the forest and I was sitting on top of a view so I was able to see the valley and start my drawing. Different noises were present. I felt the wind that was pushing my hair ups and downs. After 10 minutes I was able to hear the different birds. I could see the forest on the right side and different colours of the trees. The valley has got its beauties that can be observed by different perspectives, lights and factors to see. I have noticed different types of green - as a color - and I would like to be able to use different colours in my illustrations.

Having trouble submitting my photo of entire journal page but was able to upload these detail shots.  Spent 15 minutes outside listening, observing, and writing and completed drawings later. I liked letting my mind wander to whatever avenues it was directed to by my observations.  

I heard a lot of different birds singing but could not see any of them except a crow flying and some mocking birds...which made me wish I could recognize birds by their songs. I was sitting in my backyard and drawing my neighbor's tree when the other neighbor started mowing which fairly overwhelmed the rest of the sounds. But it was fun to capture the tree before most of its leaves were on and the structure could be easily seen.

I’ve been observing the sweet barn swallows nesting in my apartment complex. The attached photo is from this afternoon’s journal observation. I hadn’t been writing anything down until this class. I’m absolutely fascinated by our “new neighbors”, a barn swallow couple that moved into the porch of the vacant apartment next door. There seems to be several swallow nesting here this spring. I’m only familiar with cave swallows, so this will be a new experience to really pay attention to a new species so close to my porch. The coloring of these little birds is so dramatic and beautiful. We are in a transitional rental and still under quarantine, so I wasn’t sure if I’d have much to report from my porch, but I do now!

I did 2 'sit spot' locations, keeping notes and being alert to goings on.  Due to CoVID 19 the first location- usually quiet was too busy with walkers.  The second is a spot I often walk to with a stream, a waterfall over a dam, birds and trees.  I liked that better. We also have been "sit spotting" comfortably  in our living room where our window looks out right into a newly made woodpecker nest.  The progress of the Hairy Woodpecker has been amazing.  (Our siding is not wood!!).  I also have enjoyed observing the Decorah eagle nest on live cam the last few weeks and the progression of woodland wildflowers - up to the current Virginia bluebells covering the hillsides. My photos are on my phone and I'll see if I can manage an insert later.  My goal is to take a lot of time with this course.  At present, we have nothing but time!

April 21, 2020  cloudy and rainy I have an observation spot at breakfast each morning.  We sit at a large window and look out on our bird feeders which sits about 3 feet from the window.  This is to allow my husband, who has low vision to see the birds, it also discourage bird strikes into the window. There are four feeders hanging from a porch swing frame,  two tube feeders have a mix of seed, another has only sunflower seed chips, and the third is a 3 suet cake wire feeder.  We also have a larger feeder on a post about 15 feet away.  My husband is the filler of the feeders.  He experiments with different types of suet to see which birds like which flavors.  He also feeds peanuts to "Mr. Squirrel, Red, and Blacky" and a fluxuating number of babies. Our residence is at 1160 feet in elevation, and we are in a temperate rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.  We have a large lawn area surrounded by trees and wild areas.  Native plants of salal and oregon grape, several fern species, wild blackberries, wild strawberries, Douglas fir, cedar, alder, vine maple, maple, hemlock, and berry trees.  There are many wild flowers and I also grow roses within and deer resistant plants outside the fenced area.  We have summer on Thursday during one of the summer months and winter is usually a week long.  These are by midwestern standards, as we moved here from central Illinois.  The rest of the year we have the rainy season October to May and the dry season June to September.  However, the rainy season is generally polite with light rain or mist, which doesn't stop outdoor activities, but still tends to soak one to the skin.  We have few thunderstorms but we do get wind. We see and I am now noting a great number of changes throughout the year.  There are resident birds that stay with us all year like the juncos, nuthatches, downy and hairy woodpeckers, flickers, Stellar's jays, spotted towhees, doves, chestnut backed chickadees and white crowned sparrows who visit our feeders regularly.  Spring and summer residents include robins, of course, varied thrushes, gray jays, gold crowned sparrows, song sparrows, pine siskins,  house, purple and gold finches, black-headed grosbeaks, and hummingbirds, Anna's and Rufus and others I am not remembering at the moment. Depending upon the time of day that I am watching, there are varying degrees of  activity.  The birds definitely have their siesta times, and their social functions, as well as their feeding frenzies.  It is interesting to watch the interactions between birds of the same species and those between different species.  There is a definite hierarchy.  Claw is highest, with raptors in the area stimulating hiding behavior.  The squirrels also get deferential treatment. Next on the hierarchy is  beak length or pointed-ness.  It's amazing how the little nuthatch can always find a perch at a feeder.  General size of the bird plays into the pecking order as well but also aggressiveness , especially with individuals within the same species.  Another interesting behavior in some species that mate for the season or for life, is that the males will protect the females while they eat at the feeders; I often see the male grosbeak sitting on a branch above the feeder while she eats. I have this written in my journal but my hand writing is difficult to read sometimes so I decided to type this.  I will try to post my journal pages with illustrations in the furture.

I love to hike and find a spot to sit and journal and have been using this method for a few months (before the pandemic stay-at-home hit). I love exploring spots I normally hike through by taking the time to stop and sit and observe and journal...I find that I notice so many small details and evidence of interactions between critters and their environment. Many questions pop into my mind and I love sketching, writing my immediate questions and observations to dive into later. For example, I had a goal of visiting the same stretch of Mendocino coast beach and observing the beach wrack/strand line over time. I managed two of these and I will be happy to be able to do more of this when the virus shelter in place is safely lifted. For now I am very happy exploring my back yard garden and local Mt Tam hills. My biggest challenge is that I tend to get so absorbed that I could easily spend hours on one journaling event (!)... not practical! I am a slow sketcher, especially birds and animals that are moving around. But I am loving it and striving for ways to practice my journaling that allows me to capture the essentials while coming back to add details, more info and color.

The first day (left) I went to the garden surrounding my building to do a sit spot. I don't have many options around given the current virus situation, and to make it a bit worse, children were screaming and running around, making the whole 'silent' thing of the activity quite useless. But I persevered and in the second day (right) I decided to go back quite early, when no one was around. It helped, and I was able to admire the flight of two large bees, and realise that two different flower species were actually probably the same one, given they are exactly the same in shape and leaf type, only one was white and the other pink. A nice day!