Sat on my front bench at 12 noon when it was 90 degrees and then next to the pond behind my house at about 5 pm, just as a light rain began to fall. It was interesting how quiet both experiences were, and how almost free of birds, as we always enjoy birds year round both in front and back. Probably too hot for birds at Sit #1 and too drizzly for birds at Sit #2 ☺️ I had a lovely sense of quiet delight when returning indoors - very much enjoyed taking time to notice many little details in new ways. Intentionally wrote notes rather than sketching, but I love seeing everyone’s sketches here ... inspires me to do much more of this and just DRAW.  

I found it hard to keep my eyes closed for more than three minutes because I wanted to see as well as hear what was going on around me. I could feel relaxing, then when I picked up my phone to record a sound, the stress went back up again. I heard soft sounds I might not have heard when walking. I could definitely focus in on different sounds, then move onto the next. For the days presented here, my eyes remained open. I seem to be more comfortable with my pencil the second day. The sense of spring arriving was felt and heard, though there was little in the way of greening happening here.h

This is my first journal entry.  

This is drawing of a photograph I took in 2009.  This mother brought her twin fawns into our backyard shortly after they were born and stayed in the area all summer and fall.  I was able to stand outside on my back door stoop while this little one nursed and take several photos.  This experience was probably my first sit spot.

Day 6 and 7 and today was too windy to  be under tall trees outside.  

This next one I had trouble depicting the yard art cardinal. I changed its position from the day before. I actually plopped it in a flower pot so it would be facing me. What I had trouble with was its left wing. Some how the way it was positioned that wing was straight out but somehow lifted a bit so I could partially see the underside. I tried sketching that but instead of it being raised it was more like it was hanging down...so erased and just quickly filled it in so that one is a do again.  

Day 3 and Day 4 This Day 4 was by far the most exciting and fun day so far.

I started what I call bird sitting last Friday 5/3/2020. I don't put a time limit on myself might be 30 min or could well be an hour. It varies. I am going to make several posts and share my sessions with you and each day is a new adventure and never boring or the same. Day 2

i walked around and looked for a best spot in our back yard this morning, got my sketching stool and sat.  it's spring and so the bird cacophony is Fabulous.  Counting all of them is beyond my ability for sure. Bird orchestration is the best descriptive term that i can come up with.  Forte, pianissimo, back left, right front....totally amazing and made me move away mentally from CV angst altogether.  I did a redo this afternoon and the environmental changes; warmer, sharper shadows, less birds but clearer song....omg.  I'm so thankful that i decided to 'nature journal'.   chirps?

I grew up and spent my early adulthood in an apartment in the Bronx. I am now 77 years old and have lived for over 40 years in Bucks County PA.  The house I live in is the first actual house I ever lived in. I still don’t take it for granted that my back yard leads to woods, and that nature is all around me. I chose my porch for my first sit spot. I still thrill to the fact that I have a porch- even after all these years. I often sit out there, but it was especially lovely to observe and to journal . I look forward to more as Spring brings its changes.

At the beginning, I could not sense anything new. I tried a couple of 15 minutes sessions, but I just felt what I usually felt. Through reading and looking at the journals of others, I realized it is ok not to have any new discoveries. I just wrote what I saw, heard, and felt. I found that it was relaxing, yet challenging to just sit and write and draw while other chores were waiting to be done. It required me patience. It is good exercise for me to be in a moment, not to rush, and to take my time. I also found that spending a little bit of time everyday by the window gave me joy to find different flowers blooming different timing, which gave me sense of the spring approaching.

While I was biking the other day, I found this little spot called The Jim King Pond. It's a nice little pond with two mute swans and a pair of Canada geese. The easiest observations where the details to the birds, but what was a little outside of the box was actually the landscaping.

It took me a while to find something to draw. I was waiting for a magical moment or a bird landing in front of my face. That didn't happen, but the longer I did find things to look at. I came to this spot to check on the spring flowers so those where my main focus. After 30min squirrels came back out, birds came a little closer.

It was great doing my sit spot experience in my back yard (I couldn't go anywhere else because I'm an 11 year old kid that a. doesn't know how to drive, and b. my parents probably won't let me go anywhere else outside alone, and they're pretty busy). At first there wasn't that much to see, but as time passed by, I could see much more birds, including a juvenile Bald Eagle which I didn't know that I would see, and a steller's jay that flew into our bird feeder, which was really unexpected because they are usually shy in my area. It was hard to see differences in the landscape for me because I look at the birds, but I will try to improve and notice more changes in the landscape and plants. I was surprised at how many birds that I got to see in that time period, though.

It was a lovely experience. Went to a trail not too far from my home and just sat and listened. So many birds were singing (even one I hadn't heard before!) and the water dropped throughout the forest since there had just been a downpour. I am building up my listening skills to be able to pick out birds I hear more readily so I'm working hard on my ability to perceive things through sound. It was relaxin and it was amazing how quickly the time went by. 

While I started this course in October I am just completing this exercise now, sitting in my snowy garden. I learned a lot and will need to practice this much more often. The gesture drawing lesson is very helpful here with the birds in the yard. I was a bit surprised that I wrote much more than I drew. Maybe the ratio will shift when my drawing skills improve. I paid much closer attention to the structure of the snowdrops than I would in the past. I looked at how they survived last week’s 30 cm snowfall and how the leaves may have helped shelter the blossoms. 

Hello all, Trying again to load my sit spot on Plummets Island, 5 miles from Washington, DC. Avery              

I went down to the edge of the woods adjacent to where I live to regroup and decompress during a stint at the computer for teaching online these days(I am an art teacher).It is something I do anyway on a daily basis.I have always looked for nature's clues and changes on a daily observations so this is not an unknown territory for me.  A neighbor has placed various weathered benches here and there for us to sit and ponder. Since it was 2pm there was not as much bird activity as I would have liked as I know birds will rest before they start their food hunt later. However after 20 minutes, I could hear the cardinals,chickadees and a lone towhee starting up again. Spring greens are starting to appear on the poplars and oaks around here(photo)and a ground cover myrtle and a few  mayapples (early!) are starting to pop up.

Though our pond has been here for 3 years, this is the first time I have had a sit spot next to it. What a pleasure it was to watch the fish patterns and hear the squirrel and crow scold me for showing up on their land. I enlarged the single koi in the pond to get a better sense of his appearance. Our koi is all white with some grey. All of his peers have failed to survive, but he survives with his gold fish minions each season. The pond it 8 ' by 11" and 3 feet deep with two water falls. Since it isn't opened yet, there is no sound of rushing water yet. Perhaps in April.

Hello all,  I am really enjoying seeing all of your work! My sit spot was on Plummers Island in the Potomac River about 5 miles from Washington,  DC. It is near the Chesapeake  and Ohio Canal National Park. I was looking for spring wildflowers and bees, but saw and heard much more. I sat on a rock on my coat to draw, but soon had to put my coat on. The wind was cold. It was a peaceful place to draw and paint.

I sat by the lake and watched the  goldeneyes do what they do. They moved back when I first got there but started to come in closer again after around 20 minutes, just like the lesson said! I was originally just going to leave the picture on the left side and the writing on the right, but then I started writing all over the picture and painting around the notes and it ended up like this. Noticing dead plants was a new one for me, but it was actually pretty interesting once I started looking, touching and even smelling them