In August I began the Illinois Master Naturalist training program. Our first interpretive hike was at Thatcher Woods in River Forest and we were given a notebook to use during our training, so I began using that for my nature journaling and field sketching. I’ve been enjoying the two-page spread format and might stick with that for a while.
I also roamed further than I have in months and went out to the Indiana Dunes National Park for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. I also visited Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie Preserve on the far south side of Chicagoland for the first time, and that was a real treat.
I’ve been practicing slower and deeper observations of more-than-human life lately. I really loved this interview with “slow birding” advocate Bridget Butler on the excellent American Birding Association podcast. Instead of doing a longer-distance bird walk, I’ve just been sitting in one spot for a long time. As Bridget explains in the interview, after around 20 minutes or so, you become integrated into the environment and the birds and other wildlife become relaxed about your presence. This allows you to observe behavior that you wouldn’t have if you were keeping things moving.
I’ve been doing “sit spot” birding at parks and in the forest preserves, and just sitting still and observing for long periods of time more generally. I’m finding that it allows me to appreciate relationships and interactions between different species. Nature journaling, which requires you to slow down and really take notice, also facilitates this. When I’m sketching a plant in the field, various insects will come to browse it. There’s a lot of knowledge to be gained by just sitting still and being present will all your senses as you commune with the astounding diversity of life with which we share this planet.
