Kamana 2 Begins...

So I've been itching to get started on Kamana 2 ever since the family and I moved back to Washington state, but I also started a new job when I returned and that really consumed a lot of my time...I know...excuses, excuses. Suffice it to say, I am now committed to getting Kamana 2 underway and completed by January of 2014.

I had explored a few areas where I was hoping to establish a sit spot for this core routine, but ultimately never settled into a good consistent schedule.  I had been consistently visiting one particular area that called to me as the "right area", given the diversity of habitat and animal sign I have encountered over the last 2 years including: coyote/fox scat, deer tracks, rabbit scat, shrew and mole activity...as well as some great songbird activity. For Kamana 2, I needed to commit to a spot, so I decided that this area would be the right one. Over the last few days,  I have been establishing a consistent morning routine of sitting, and given the chance I have also tried to return in the evening on my way home from work.  The area I go to is not technically "open" during some of the times I have accessed it, but its given me a good opportunity to foxwalk in to my anchor point to limit my presence in the area.

I love this spot during the day, but I have to admit that I am still overcoming my fears of being there in the darkness.  In the dark, you are acutely aware of every noise around you...so until I get to know the noises of this spot, I think I will remain on edge. Over time, I know that I will build a comfort with this spot under the large Western Red Cedar, as I had grown accustomed to my sit spot in Ohio.

Summary of today

Morning Sit
Arrival: 0645; Departure: 0745

Major activity: smaller birds making short "chip" calls (juncos, sparrows, robins); Eastern gray squirrels eating big leaf maple seeds to the south of my anchor point; Several Steller's Jays (up to 3) making alarm calls off and on just west of my spot in a forest edge that leads to marshier terrain.
Learnings: I will definitely pay attention to the area where I heard the Stellar Jays, as this seemed to be the highest "alarm activity" area. I need to explore this area in the day time, to understand what is really back there.

Evening Sit
Arrival: 1745; Departure: 1845

Major Activity: Identified the sound of chickadees,juncos and several calls I did not recognize.  Highlight was getting an exploratory fly over by an owl on my way out. Could not identify due to the darkness, but got a good look at its silhouette. Consulted a field guide and internet photos at home and my hypothesis is that it was a Barred Owl. This owl did 4-5 figure eights over my head as if he wanted to get a good look at who/what the heck I was before flying off to the west. It was a bit disconcerting while it was happening, but afterwards (when I caught my breath), I let the excitement sink in. When foxwalking out I heard a loud screech that scared the cr@p out of me. Awesome night:)
Learnings: Maybe the owl activity and the Stellar Jay alarms could be related; I will pay more attention to this in the coming days.

With thankfulness and appreciation,
Greg (aka J.A.A.N)

The Spawn is On

The Spawn is On At North Creek!

Yesterday, a friend of mine reminded me great a spot I have near my house to observe birds and wildlife.  It is actually a wetland and open grassy field near an office park in Canyon Park, WA through which North Creek flows. I have been here numerous time before, but lately had not had the chance. Since I had not been on this trail in quite some time, today I decided to go there for a walk along the North Creek Trail. 

To my delight during my morning stroll, I saw a ton of bird activity.  My first encounter was with a Common Yellowthroat (one of my favorite birds), which really got me excited again about my decision to walk this trail today.  As I progressed on my morning jaunt, I saw a number of birds: mallards, coots, red-winged blackbirds, fox sparrows, black-capped chickadees, spotted towhees, robins, and plenty of Oregon juncos. I walked for about 30 mins just enjoying the sites and listening for bird sounds to determine if I could recognize what types of birds I was hearing. 

Fox Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat

 As I was about to head back to my car, I decided to take a walk across a small wooden bridge which crosses North Creek, to see if I could find any animal tracks along the side of the creek. 

Wooden bridge across North Creek

 I checked a few spots I had been to before, but did not see anything I could definitively identify as a track. Just as I rounded the corner, a young man on a mountain bike came flying by me on the trail and scared the Buh-Jesis(sp?) out of me.  I think he felt bad and as he flew past called out "Hey the Pinks are back!...down there", pointing behind his bike and a little further down the trail in front of me.

North Creek Trail and Spawning Site (Red Dot on Map); Sockeye in foreground (red body)

I was really excited because I had no idea that salmon actually even ran in North Creek. You see...out here in the Pacific Northwest there are plenty of signs to remind you that little creeks are part of watersheds that support salmon in Puget Sound, but the creeks look so ordinary...just running through suburbia.

Sockeye salmon in North Creek

Sockeye salmon

Well today....to see salmon running in the little, ordinary looking North Creek was spectacular. As I got to the spot the young man pointed me toward, I saw large red bodies hanging in the running water, pointed upstream.  At first they were just holding in the fast moving water, but then as I watched for a while, I noticed them begin to move around. In some cases, it look like typical milling around salmon do around spawning beds, but in other cases there looked to be some degree of territoriality taking place.I am no salmon expert, but I did notice right away that these salmon looked more like sockeye salmon than pink salmon.  Pink salmon are nicknamed "humpies" because  the large hump males get on their back....but these fish did not have any humps. I stayed there for a while, just enjoying the payoff I got from the guy who almost ran over me with his mountain bike. I was really excited and decided to go home and get my camera to see if I could take some pics. 

When I returned to the spawning site, not only were the salmon still there, the friend who had reminded me of this place was also there.  We talked for a while, and he mentioned that he had been checking everyday to see if the salmon had returned, but today was finally the first day that they showed up. I thanked him for reminding me about this place and then I headed for home.  On my short drive home, I reflected on how spectacular nature can be...even in a small, ordinary-looking and unassuming neighborhood like mine in suburban Seattle. Geesh...I really need to get outside more.

With Thankfulness and Appreciation,

Greg (aka J.A.A.N.)

Back Where We Belong...and New Sit Spot Day #1

Well it has been quite some time since I last posted on my blog...but I've been yearning to get back into the routine. Since we last "spoke" I have re-located my family about 2,400 miles back to the Pacific Northwest(Canyon Park, WA.....about 30 mins NE of downtown Seattle).

It was a rather unexpected move, but a job opportunity presented itself that allowed my wife and I to get ourselves and our daughter "back where we belong." Though I am not a native Northwesterner, my wife grew up in Bellingham, WA and I have come to consider the NW my home too, as we were married out here and had our daughter out here.

We came back last July and after getting the family settled and starting my new job, I began the long selection process of finding a new sit spot.  This was a challenge, as my backyard was not much of an option(we have a brand new construction house with no landscaping) and I live in a fairly well developed suburb of Seattle with lots of stripmalls and office parks.  When studying Google Maps one day, I found a  nice little park about 10 mins from my house and 5 mins from my office, which I thought would provide me some great flexibility to stop before or after work, or even to take a my lunch break there. It is not that large, and it is well-visited by walkers and dogs, but there are a few spots where you can "get away" and relax under the hemlocks and cedars. My main spot is beneath a large hemlock or fir(need to nail that one down next time) which keeps me dry if it is drizzling.

View from my new spot

Another angle, with snag where I
confirmed the Towhee call

In my selection process,  I explored a few other spots as well, but I continued to visit this one and have found that it seems to have the most "magic." I have already had some wonderful experiences...About 2 months ago, I was able to call-in a chickadee so close that I almost put out my finger for it to step on to....a few weeks ago I saw my first Common Yellowthroat (which was really cool as I've been wanting to see one for some time now) and I have also found some scat which I believe is coyote or fox.

Common Yellowthroat

Coyote or fox scat??...and yes that is my work phone
added for scale. Sorry Mr. Employer:)

 I would be excited to run into either, so I am looking forward to getting out there on some early mornings to catch the "dawn chorus" and maybe a glimpse of the aforementioned canines.

Though I've been out to my spot numerous times, I had not officially started my "Sit Spot Routine" out here, but I figured I would start since I am participating in the Wilderness Awareness Schools 30 Day Sit Spot Challenge.(http://kamana.org/lessons/articles/30-day-sit-spot-challenge/)

30 Day Sit Spot Challenge: Day #1 Observations
1) Strong, cool winds coming from the southwest...which was different since the cool winds tend to come more from the north.

2) Flocks of Swallows(20-30 cliff swallows...I think) chasing each other around the trees as if they were in a WWII dogfight. The maneuverability was really amazing.

Spotted Towhee

3) A Spotted Towhee making it's buzzing call. As I arrived, I heard the buzzing in the shrubs to my 10 o'clock and I thought to myself "ahh yes....towhee", but then I began to doubt myself. In the end, the towhee flew right into a snag just in front of my spot and confirmed that the buzzing call was in fact the towhee.

4) A few Robin sightings. I am looking forward to getting to know the resident Robins at my spot, as I did when I was back in Ohio.  Those who have read this before know how much I do really enjoy their company.

5) Last, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of an Eastern Cottontail hopping into the shrubs.  It was amazing how quickly he just disappeared into the thicket.

Looking forward to getting out there for Day 2 and happy to have my family back where we belong.

With Thankfulness and Appreciation,

Greg (a.k.a. JAAN)


P.S. Just had my first of six classes this past weekend for the Marine Naturalist Training Course through the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA. (http://www.whale-museum.org/education/mnt.html). I'll be sure to give you an update after classes 2 and 3 this weekend....STAY TUNED NATURE LOVERS:)

Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification: Plants (May 6-8)

Our "Plants Class" family on a trail walk in GSMNP

I know I've mentioned this program in a previous post, but I just wanted to give some of you a little more information on the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program(SANCP). This certification program is a series of 8 x 2 1/2 day classes which are taken at the Tremont Institute in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.(Here is the link for more specifics on the classes. http://www.gsmit.org/sancp.)
Upon completion of the program graduates receive a certificate from the University of Tennessee, documenting the 100+ hours of study and class time dedicated to earning the certificate....so that is the background.

With the completion of the Plants class this past weekend, I am now halfway through the program, and my goal is to have 7 of the 8 classes completed by the end of this calendar year. Over the course of the weekend, we keyed trees, group-guided some wildflower walks with some impromptu interpretation, discussed "fern sex"(which is fascinating) and just generally learned a lot about the "green wall out there." Learning in a place like the Smokies can feel daunting, as a result of its bio-diversity....but you just have to keep everything in perspective. You can't learn everything in a weekend, but each class covers a different subject area and provides a great base of knowledge from which to grow. Though some of the weekends have been pretty intense, with a lot of material is packed into a short amount of time, I can honestly say that I can't think of too many other ways I would rather spend my free time(okay I'd rather be fly-fishing, but that is about it).  The quality of instruction is top-notch as the staff of the Tremont Institute and local experts come to help instruct and guide each class. It is really a unique experience to truly immerse yourself in learning about such a wonderfully unique and bio-diverse area.  If you are within driving distance of the Smokies, and have the interest,  I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend checking out this program. It is really pretty special and I can't wait to get down there in July for 2 more classes!

With Thankfulness and Appreciation....Greg (J.A.A.N.)

Celebrating Accidental Naturalists.....Everywhere!

     As I've been writing this blog over the last few months, I've come to the realization (based on some of my traffic stats for the site...thanks Google!) that the name of my blog coincides with other blogs and websites out there, written by others who also consider themselves Accidental Naturalists.
   
     As a result, I have decided to change the name of my blog from "The Accidental Naturalist"(since I realize that this can sound presumptive to some) to "Just Another Accidental Naturalist."(fireworks are exploding, confetti is flying, spotlights are beaming....well maybe just in my mind.)

At first,  I kind of liked the name "The Accidental Naturalist" because that is what I consider myself and I honestly thought this made me unique. What I've come to realize is that it doesn't matter whether I or someone else consider himself/herself THE Accidental Naturalist, I think the wonderful thing is that there are many people out there who have discovered and re-kindled their passion for the natural world and want to share that with others in a variety of different ways. I've realized that there are many Accidental Naturalists and we're all just ordinary people who desire to learn more, and even better, who want to share that knowledge with others..AND we may have never expected to be doing this as a career, hobby or whatever.  It is really inspiring and invigorating for me to know that there are many other people out there who are at various points of their naturalist journey. So let's celebrate some of the other accidental naturalists out there:

Maria Mudd Ruth (http://mariaruthbooks.blogspot.com/), an environmental educator and author from Olympis, WA. Maria...you are well ahead of me...starting out as a writer:) I will definitely be checking out some of your books as they sound wonderful.

Stefan Milkowski (http://northernflux.blogspot.com/2007/04/accidental-naturalist.html) , a freelance reporter in Alaska, studying and writing about how climate change is affecting the Last Frontier. If I am ever in Alaska Stefan, I am going to track you down so we can slay some trout together.






Mareth,  who describes herself as "a tour guide, kayaker and sporadic Alaskan" in her blog. http://notesfromanaccidentalnaturalist.blogspot.com/
I've not done much kayaking Mareth, but if I make my way up to the 49th state, my family and I will give you a call.

You see, I am quite certain many of us  never told our parents that we were going to be "naturalists" when we grow up (maybe a lucky few out there did).....but it in the end, it is the path that has pulled-in many of us.  I'm sure that many of you never dreamed that this is the direction that your life might take, but then you open your eyes to those experiences in life that truly stir your soul: fly-fishing in a cool mountain stream and marveling at a mountain sunset that turns rocks wonderful shades of blue and gray and violet...or the sight of a doe and her fawns moving quietly and effortlessly through the leaf litter of an eastern forest....or the sight of a child just looking at something "common" like an acorn or a "sweetgum ball" with complete fascination.  It is in these moments that I have been inspired to learn more about the world around me and to share it with others. It's why I have chosen to become a naturalist....even if accidentally!

Cheers to all of the Accidental Naturalists out there!(did you hear the cork pop...or at least the twist off cap of a bottle of Alaskan Amber?)

With Thankfulness and Appreciation...Greg (Just Another Accidental Naturalist)

"Time Away" and New Discoveries

Sorry all that I've been remiss in my blogging duties recently.  Life kind of "took over" during the last 2 weeks, with some travel to Pennsylvania for the Easter weekend and mad studying happening as I finished up my final exams this semester at school. Of course all of this came up right after my last post where I lauded myself for my dedication to getting out to my sit spot regularly for 3 weeks. Oh well...you just have to keep moving forward right.  A few interesting things have occurred since my last post.

My family and I traveled to my parents' house in eastern PA over the Easter holiday weekend.  It was really interesting to me going back since I had more consistently started my sit spot routine. I took a few walks in the woods behind their house over the course of the weekend and it was as if I was truly seeing those woods for the first time.  I mean....they were always there while I was growing up, and as kids we spent a significant time trapsing around in them, but this was the first time that I notice the "ginormous" tuliptree(which I now know is part of the Magnolia family, Magnoliaceae) in my parent backyard and the variety of oaks, including several chinkapins.  

The really cool thing was that I saw how similar those woods are to many of the areas that I've explored in my current neighborhood in the Cincinnati area. It was a neat experience to feel like I've actually begun to "know" more about these woods, even though I had spent more time there as a youngster.  I guess that is part of the power and enlightenment of the sit spot experience. Not only do you gain a strong connection for that place where you spend a lot of time...you begin to see new things and notice details about other places you've been a thousand times.

Sat April 30th - I did manage to get out to my spot over the weekend and was able to spend a good 90 mins or so exploring. It was a bit odd, as I had not been there for about a week and a half and it felt as if I had not been there for a year and a half. So much seemed to have taken place in just a very short time. In the time since my last visit, most of the trees went from just "budding out" with their spring flowers to having fully developed, vibrant green leaves bursting from their branches.  I had never really noticed before how quickly that spring awakening really takes place....it was neat to see that. Also, I had a few good bird experiences that day too. 

 First...I saw one of my usual robins, which was nice as I settled back into my spot.  I watched him for about 5 minutes foraging, but then all of a sudden he alarmed and flew off.  I was a bit disappointed that he flew away and I began to question whether it was something that I did, when an older gentleman and his large black dog appeared from around the corner, walking along a trail.  It was just like JY often cites in his "Advanced Bird Language" CD, how the most common ground birds are such great signals of activity. It was neat to see that happen.

Also, shortly after I settled into my spot I say 2 hawks circling high above my spot and I watched them for a few minutes making the rounds ans scanning the forest below.  I tried to follow them the best I could with my binos, but the soon disappeared from my sight. I have seen these 2 hawks(I think they are Cooper's hawks, but not entirely sure) on several different occasions at the park, hunting together and putting on shows of aerial acrobatics straight out of a dogfight seen in Top Gun(am I dating myself now?) The really cool thing happened about 30 mins later when I had decided to try to follow a bird call that I did not recognize(likely some sort of warbler passing through the neighborhood was my guess) and I stumbled onto some trails I had never explored before.  On this trail, I found a new section of the creek to explore and I discovered some really interesting buckeye trees along the creek bank.  When I was emerging from the wooded trail, I saw the "hawk couple" come flying through the trees over me and land on a tree branch about 30 feet above me.  It was really neat to see them, as I have not really had a chance to see the hawks just sitting in a tree. I got a decent look at them through my binos and was amazed by the size of these hawks.  They were communicating quite a bit and it seemed to me that they were definitely in hunting mode.  During this time, I did notice that the woods got very, very quiet....with really no bird-calling taking place, except for a red-bellied woodpecker off in the distance.(I need to see if woodpeckers are a part of a hawk's diet or not.) 

Well that is my update, and I promise to do a better job over the next few days/weeks getting a post out.  I have really missed my sit-spot time and have definitely felt the impact at work, so I need to get back into the routine.  I will have to start next week though, as I am headed to the Tremont Institute at GSMNP for a "Plants" class, the fourth class of eight in the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification program.  This is the first time that my wife and daughter are going to head down with me.  While I am in class, they'll actually be enjoying doing a little hiking in the park. Hopefully, we will get down there early enough on Friday for me to get a little bit of "trout-slaying" in with my trusty 3-weight fly rod.

With Thankfulness and Appreciation....Greg(a.k.a the Accidental Naturalist)

Sit Spot Day 21 - Pure Gratitude

Day 21 - I have to say I am pretty darn proud of myself for getting out to my spot almost every day since the start of the Wilderness Awareness School's "30 Day Sit Spot Challenge.(http://kamana.org/lessons/articles/30-day-sit-spot-challenge/)

I was initially excited by the idea of starting the sit spot routine and the 30-Day Challenge gave me a good reason to try it out.  The sit spot is THE core routine of the Kamana Naturalist program and it has quickly become an essential part of my day.  In my 37 years, I have NEVER been a morning person....but I've rarely missed an early morning sit in the past 3 weeks.  For me, it has become a necessary part of starting the day off with a clear and present mind.  On his new CD's "Reclaiming Our Natural Connection," Jon Young talks a lot about our need for a little bit of timelessness in our day.  Can you remember the last time you just spent some time NOT worrying about time. We've allowed ourselves to become so over-scheduled and time sensitive, that we rarely give ourselves even 15 minutes to just relax and let our brains get some downtime. We just move from event to event, squeezing more and more activity into each day. In the past, the only time I've really allowed myself timelessness has been done while sitting in front of the TV; but in those cases I also typically had my laptop open and my mind was rarely present in the moment. That was not downtime for me at all and I never felt anything regenerative as a result of this. What I have enjoyed most about the "sit spot" routine is that it has given me permission to have that regenerative time and has allowed me to see things I've never seen. I guess that is what JY means when he says that you "need to lose your mind to come to your senses." If you are reading this and have never tried doing a sit spot or just giving yourself some timelessness each day, I HIGHLY recommend it.

My "sit" today was a short stroll through the forest on my way into work. I spent most of the time trying to avoid big mudholes along the trail.  The most enjoyable part of my walk was the sight of a robin, sitting in a tree facing the morning sun, just singing his heart out.  I felt compelled to stop and just soak in the moment as the sun bounced off of his "orange" breast,  while he belted out his song with such enthusiasm and vigor. I am certain that all life in the area has had to hunker down over the past few nights,  as the thunderstorms have rolled through, so it was almost as if this bird was singing his "thanks" to the sun for the warmth it was providing him. I was just thankful for the few quiet moments I took aside the trail to enjoy such a simple and wonderful display of pure gratitude.

With Thankfulness and Appreciation...Greg(a.k.a The Accidental Naturalist)