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| A turtle sitting on a branch in the water |
Time- 2:14 PM, Friday, September 6, 2013
Weather- Sunny, breezy, warm
I arrived and sat on a bench, shaded by a tree. I heard distant voices of kids playing on the jungle gym at the other end of the park. A few people were fishing, and a young woman was walking around taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. Although there were other people there, the park was still quiet. I could hear the sound of the breeze blowing across the lake and the sound of the quacking of the ducks.
I saw about 20 ducks all in a group, sitting on the grass in the shade of some trees. As many times as I have been at this park, I never saw this many ducks, and never saw them all out of the water sitting together. As I was jotting down some observations, I heard this duck make a coughing sound. I looked over and saw one duck by itself, walking towards me. I smiled and began to talk to it, yes I talk to ducks. It got close enough to me that I could reach out and touch it. He, or she, was making a coughing sound every few seconds, and I wondered if it was sick. I felt really bad for it because it seemed to be ostracized from the group of ducks sitting close by, or maybe it chose to stay away because he didn't feel well. I made a note to research what illness ducks are prone to, and if they are ostracized from the pack of ducks when they are sick.
I spoke to the young woman who was taking photographs of the scenery, and I explained that I was writing a nature blog for one of my graduate writing classes. She said she was taking pictures for fun. She pointed me towards the end of the lake where a turtle was sunbathing on a branch lodged in the lake. I walked down towards the branch and smiled at the sight of a turtle just sitting there, without a care in the world. He picked the perfect spot to get some sun.
I also met a man who was fishing, and he heard us talking about what we were working on, and he pointed us towards a snake that was in the water, trying to eat a fish. I inched up to the lake, looking in the direction he was pointing, trying to catch a glimpse of the snake through the grass. It was dark brown, not very long, and had a piece of fish in its mouth, presumably its dinner. The man and I discussed what type of snake it was and if it could possibly be a poisonous Copperhead, but we were not sure. I will have to look more into the different species of animals that inhabit the park's lake. As I was watching the snake, I was struck by how leisurely he was in eating his dinner. It looked as if he wasn't even moving for awhile and just had the fish in his mouth. I thought back to the turtle, and reflected on how he was just enjoying the moment, perched on a branch in the middle of the lake, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his shell.
The connection I felt to the different animals, along with the people I had a chance to talk to, gave me a feeling of community with my fellow nature lovers and observers. I looked up at the sky, and the white clouds looked like swirls of cotton candy against the beautiful blue. As I was taking in all of my experiences in a short half hour, I was overwhelmed with the flashes of nature all around me. It was an intense feeling; everywhere I looked I was attuned to all of the beautiful nature around me. I saw different color flowers, yellow, and purple, white. I noticed the bugs floating on the surface of the water. I took one sheet of paper with me to record my observations and both sides were filled in 20 minutes. I had an amazing experience, and it struck me on how much I really can see when I am paying attention.
Weather- Sunny, breezy, warm
I arrived and sat on a bench, shaded by a tree. I heard distant voices of kids playing on the jungle gym at the other end of the park. A few people were fishing, and a young woman was walking around taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. Although there were other people there, the park was still quiet. I could hear the sound of the breeze blowing across the lake and the sound of the quacking of the ducks.
I saw about 20 ducks all in a group, sitting on the grass in the shade of some trees. As many times as I have been at this park, I never saw this many ducks, and never saw them all out of the water sitting together. As I was jotting down some observations, I heard this duck make a coughing sound. I looked over and saw one duck by itself, walking towards me. I smiled and began to talk to it, yes I talk to ducks. It got close enough to me that I could reach out and touch it. He, or she, was making a coughing sound every few seconds, and I wondered if it was sick. I felt really bad for it because it seemed to be ostracized from the group of ducks sitting close by, or maybe it chose to stay away because he didn't feel well. I made a note to research what illness ducks are prone to, and if they are ostracized from the pack of ducks when they are sick.
I spoke to the young woman who was taking photographs of the scenery, and I explained that I was writing a nature blog for one of my graduate writing classes. She said she was taking pictures for fun. She pointed me towards the end of the lake where a turtle was sunbathing on a branch lodged in the lake. I walked down towards the branch and smiled at the sight of a turtle just sitting there, without a care in the world. He picked the perfect spot to get some sun.
I also met a man who was fishing, and he heard us talking about what we were working on, and he pointed us towards a snake that was in the water, trying to eat a fish. I inched up to the lake, looking in the direction he was pointing, trying to catch a glimpse of the snake through the grass. It was dark brown, not very long, and had a piece of fish in its mouth, presumably its dinner. The man and I discussed what type of snake it was and if it could possibly be a poisonous Copperhead, but we were not sure. I will have to look more into the different species of animals that inhabit the park's lake. As I was watching the snake, I was struck by how leisurely he was in eating his dinner. It looked as if he wasn't even moving for awhile and just had the fish in his mouth. I thought back to the turtle, and reflected on how he was just enjoying the moment, perched on a branch in the middle of the lake, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his shell.
The connection I felt to the different animals, along with the people I had a chance to talk to, gave me a feeling of community with my fellow nature lovers and observers. I looked up at the sky, and the white clouds looked like swirls of cotton candy against the beautiful blue. As I was taking in all of my experiences in a short half hour, I was overwhelmed with the flashes of nature all around me. It was an intense feeling; everywhere I looked I was attuned to all of the beautiful nature around me. I saw different color flowers, yellow, and purple, white. I noticed the bugs floating on the surface of the water. I took one sheet of paper with me to record my observations and both sides were filled in 20 minutes. I had an amazing experience, and it struck me on how much I really can see when I am paying attention.
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| A duck relaxing under the shade of a tree |
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