One way to observe Nature is just to be in nature

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Friday, February 2. 2018

One way to observe Nature is just to be in nature

My Mom, who was a vigorous and athletic woman into her 80s and a big hiker, instructed me that the best way to observe nature was to find a good spot on the edge of a meadow, at the edge of a marsh, along a stone wall, in the woods at the edge of a ridge or hill, and to sit alone. Ideally, on an edge so there is a mixed habitat.

To sit in dull, non-synthetic clothing, and just to watch and look around for an hour in an relaxed, meditative, but alert state. For hunters, this is normal in a deer stand or in a duck blind, but it can be done without a firearm too.

Do not move much except to scratch your nose. Compose yourself. No camera, no binoculars, no firearm, no dog, no friend. An hour sitting quietly, especially at dawn or dusk, can be an education.

Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation at 17:14 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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Your last sentence got me. I was taught to get the sun behind me "on my shoulder" and the wind in my face or least quartering into it, then you disappear to most of nature.

#1 Sennacherib on 2018-02-02 17:54 (Reply)

Good advice.

Except for the nature behind you!

#1.1 Bird Dog on 2018-02-02 18:03 (Reply)

Hah, quite right. Have you ever noticed animals to tend to move upwind? Whether it's grazing, hunting, or just general movement it's upwind (within whatever territorial strictures they have as a species).

#1.1.1 Sennacherib on 2018-02-03 06:13 (Reply)

Yeah, no matter where you are you are always down sun and up wind to something else.

#1.1.2 Sennacherib on 2018-02-03 06:16 (Reply)

That's good to know. I often go out in my kayak and just sit on the lake and I've had some sublime moments when nature shows up in a big way that I wasn't expecting.

#1.2 LP on 2018-02-02 22:56 (Reply)

Your mother was a wise lady and spoke the truth.

"Be still, and know that I am God"- Psalm 46:10

#2 Stephen Ippolito on 2018-02-02 19:28 (Reply)

This, Sir, is why you are the Bird Dog. Beautiful post. I knew I came here for occasion wisdom nugget wisdom and I got it from the heart today. Thank you.

#3 Bangor Frenchman on 2018-02-02 20:31 (Reply)

Yogi Berra to the rescue" "You can observe a lot by just watching."

#4 Gringo on 2018-02-02 23:51 (Reply)

"An hour sitting quietly, especially at dawn or dusk, can be an education."

YES! And it's even better outdoors, with the fresh air and the critters. But any place quiet and solitary will do in a pinch.

If only I could get my undergraduate students to do this, once a week, they'd be on the way to becoming more thoughtful and introspective. But who am I kidding? It's probably not going to happen.

#5 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2018-02-03 06:20 (Reply)

I sat sometimes by the edge of a stream just behind my house for longish periods, as close to motionless as I could manage, wearing a wide brim hat and dark glasses. Three memories come to mind.
A chickadee landed on the hat brim and hung on upside down right in front of my eyes, looking for bugs, I suppose.
I saw some sun dapples moving in the woods just across the stream , and as I concentrated my gaze there, I realized a deer was moving there.
And, a blue heron moved past my position, wading in the water, just a few feet away at the closest.

#6 Alan Smith on 2018-02-03 11:55 (Reply)

More than just educational—there are actual health benefits. Whoda thought? Apparently forest bathing and ecotherapy are new things.

Discovered it myself accidently when, last summer, there was a day too hot to get any work done. Carried a mesh lawn chair and a book down into a secluded woodsy area, and stripped to the buff to take full advantage of nature's convective cooling. (Whose idea was it that mens' summer attire should cover the entire torso and thighs where 90% of body heat is produced?) Hardly read the book—hadn't noticed before just how fascinating the woods were.

You guys keep going to the gym and picking up heavy stuff. My fitness regimen will be sitting in the woods, annoying the resident squirrel who thinks I'm intruding.

#7 GeneWW on 2018-02-03 13:12 (Reply)

I can't say I've enjoyed every time I've gone hunting--I've come home cold, wet, tired, and empty-handed--but more times than not, whether I bring home meat or not, I've enjoyed the time. That's why it's called "hunting" and not "killing"; it's always one, not always the other. Either way, I commune with my God and his works, and am a better man.

#8 Tennessee Budd on 2018-02-04 21:54 (Reply)

I have wanted to do this for years....I will make it happen this year. No excuses.

#9 Carol Montgomery on 2018-02-05 19:07 (Reply)

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Friday, February 2. 2018

One way to observe Nature is just to be in nature