Week 10

Date: Tuesday July 11, 2013
Weather: Windy, Rainy, Cold
Temperature: 57-62 degrees F
Time: 3:30pm-5:00pm
Location: Union Bay Natural Area

PART I
Week ten has rolled around and there is still much to admire about UBNA that I have not yet discovered. This week we are to describe a few things in our chosen location (Shoveler's Pond, in my case) without using the scientific or common terminology.

1. First is a plant, described without using the words plant, shrub, tree, trunk, branch, leaves, stem, flower, or berry:

It emerges from the earth and produces several rough limbs which are protected by growths like scales. The limbs have many hands protruding at several intervals. The hands have fingers, thin and nearly flat, with one smooth and one rough side each. The fingers are green, and have large and numerous veins. Some of the fingers have turned brown as their life wanes. They are curling in death. Twice my height the figure stands tall and thin.

2. Now, a bird without using the words bird, legs, wings, feather, beak, call, song, egg, or nest:

The sky is symphonic yet not melodious as the figures scatter and regroup. They swarm and circle, crying "caw, caw, caw" together. They are black, and fade into specks as they fly away. 

3. And lastly, a personal choice:

An expanse consisting of dark colors glitters under the heavy light. There is constant movement, wrinkles begin and end, repeating their pattern without fail, disturbing its surface. It is revealing a double image of the life above it. It's cool, and filled with unseen formations and creatures. It parts and contracts effortlessly, leaving droplets on my boots.

PART II

1. How has your perception of your observation site changed through the quarter?

Union Bay Natural Area, and my pond in particular have been a fantastic place to begin noting phenology and become acquainted with nature in a city. For the first time in my life I feel far removed from the natural environment, I find UBNA, as well as Ravenna and other parks to be a comfort while living in Seattle. Largely, the experience was gratifying. My perception at the beginning of the quarter was twinged with a bit of hesitance because the land was so bare (and damn cold). I feared that there would not be enough life to draw meaningful observations from as the weeks passed. However, as the quarter progressed I found that UBNA changed with the weather, the flowers bloomed, the birds returned, the cottonwoods billowed, and the insects emerged from the earth. Having the privilege to watch the nature here shift from a slow, dormant stage in Winter to a rapidly changing natural area during the Spring was a pleasure. However, Union Bay Natural Area is still not far enough removed from the buzz of the city as I would have liked. From any one vantage point, one can spot cars, motorways, 20-story cement buildings, and the hum of technology use surrounding the small island of nature. 

2. How has your sense of the Puget Sound Region changed through the quarter?

As stated, some of the natural areas that I have visited within the cities are too urban for my liking at times, but that is not to say that Puget Sound does not have its own distractions, far more satisfying in nature, which draw me into its ambiance. Such as the joyous and even aggressive birds who effervescently sing for their mates, neighbors and predators to hear, or the density of the green Olympic National Forest, and the blinding, white mountainside of Rainier. The opportunity to explore an unknown region, become acquainted with the various species, and familiarize myself with their interactions has allowed for a greater appreciation of natural history. Not being an environmental science major, and embarrassingly not having taken an environmental science class previous to this one, I have been overwhelmed with the abundance of enthusiasm for nature, and charmed by the natural world's wholehearted response. The Puget Sound is a fantastic place to acquaint oneself with life outside of the comforts of town, and become aware of the solace that eludes many of those who do not take part in interactions with nature.

3. What does it mean to intimately know a natural place?

To know a natural place intimately is just as significant as having a meaningful relationship with another person. Humans have removed themselves from nature within the past couple centuries and as a result have since engaged in a continuous struggle to fill that gap. The current emptiness in our existence that would have been filled with an intimate knowledge of a natural place is often replaced with synthetic experiences with nature, such as hanging photographs of nature indoors, playing video games that take place in nature, buying fake plants, etc. Yet the only way to fill this gap is to enjoy nature as it is by taking part in a range of different activities in the natural world. Technology has a place, such as modern hiking gear, or mountain climbing gear, GPS for off-the-road trips, yet there must also be a time set aside for acquainting oneself with nature without the use of technology to amplify your experience. To truly intimately know a natural place I believe that one ought not take a camera with them, whether it be highly advanced or a feature on one's iPhone. The disconnect we experience with nature can be easily remedied. Put your phone down, go outside, and form a new relationship. This is similar to what we have been doing in class, yet with the absence of assigned material the experience can often hold deeper meaning. 

Week 8

Date: Monday June 3, 2013
Weather: Sunny, Clear
Temperature: 70 degrees F
Time: 3:30-pm-5:00pm
Location: Union Bay Natural Area

This afternoon in Union Bay Natural Area the birds are chirping with renewed frenzy as I trace the familiar trail to my site, which is now overgrown and thoroughly green. Having been able to borrow a camera I can now share photographs in place of my original notebook drawings and note the difference between that which I captured, and what the small camera exposes. Under the sweltering heat (I wore black...) I make my way through the tall grasses surrounding my pond, seeking shade. I have taken refuge in the shadow of a generous Oregon Ash (Fraxinus Latifolia). I note some of the distinct changes that have occurred since my last visit. Foremost, the pond is all but filled with different plants, and the water is barely visible through the tall rushes, which extend far above my head. The Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) and Gadwalls (Anas strepera) have gone (but are to be found elsewhere in UBNA) and have been replaced with swallows and wrens, or so I believe. The sectioned area of the pond that presents itself directly before me has sprouted the tall rushes, and as I draw nearer I become quiet curious about its inhabitants. Conveniently equipped with my rain boots I take as many steps into the murky water as I can, making my way around the plantlife. I spot a large nest inside constructed of what appears to be twigs, and different plants from the marsh area. The maker of the nest, no doubt a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), was unaware of my presence or simply away from the nest at this time (later I will encounter another, furiously singing Marsh Wren). Neither wanting to disturb the nest nor soak my feet I retreat to the other section of the pond. This section does not have rushes, but what appears to be a thin grass s[routing from the entire pond's base. I find that I have further access to this pond and place myself among the grasses near the center of the pond. 

This bird in the center of the photo was one of five of the same species swooping continuously around the marsh. Each bird possessed a great deal of energy, for they never seem to quit. I want very much to identify them but am afraid I would not be correct. The bellies are white, the heads black, the shoulders dark and reflecting blue/green tones. From under the birds I notice that the undersides of the wings were brown, and could not remember studying any birds that look like this. Audbon's only similar bird is the Tree Swallow (Tachysineta bicolor).

On another note, the plantlife here has taken off and surrounding the path is thick, impenetrable vegetation. The tall Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera) that rests on the banks of the pond has begun to produce cotton, which is scattered about the tree as well as the bushes below. 

When I first began to visit this pond I was not aware that the trees I had been sketching were Cottonwoods, I had been looking for flowers, but it was far too early, and now I am able to feel the cotton. 

Aside from the birds, whose attitudes grow warmer with the weather, I also spotted two Green Darner Dragonflies (Anax junius) who appeared to be mating. In fact, I did interrupt them.

Union Bay Natural Area, and my pond in particular has been a fantastic place to begin noting phenology and become acquainted with nature in a city. For the first time in my life I feel far removed from the natural environment, I find UBNA, as well as Ravenna and other parks to be a comfort while living in Seattle.