Slow

 8:30 to 9:30am, 43 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 3mph SW, Bar 30.51 even

A beautiful fall morning in the Little Forrest. I think I saw my first bird at twenty six minutes. The birds were hiding. The Carolina Wrens were singing up a storm somewhere on the other side of Fall Brook. Towards the end of my sit the Black-capped Chickadees and White-throated Sparrows made a good bit of noise and went silent. Amazing how different an day or hour can make. The Blue Jay above was wondering where the peanuts are. 

Merlin Identified 21 species. I saw 7. Fox sparrow is new. Also, it has the red dot. It appears it is a bit early for them. Also, killdeer which was probably not there. The rest are regular visitors. Just out of sight today.

Woderful

 10:30 to 11:30am, 45 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 6mph S, Bar 30.54 even

The Black-capped Chickadees were in full riot today. They were just everywhere. The chickadees are the bird that is most fearless around me. Almost always the species I see the most. Today they truly did not care if I was there. Their flight path is usually around me. Coming over Fall Brook either to the north or the south of me. Today it was right over me. Almost through me. A couple of times I had to duck or move my head because I thought they were going to fly into my face. I know intellectually they wont fly into me, as they do not fly into trees and rocks. However, they were close. At one point I heard one chirp. it was close. A branch is about a foot from my left ear. It took off and flew right past me. It is truly amazing how much noise the wings of a half once bird can make! 

A Carolina Wren came into the feeder at one point. I heard it calling/chatting in a way I did not recognize. I did not think it was a Carolina Wren until I saw it. I followed the call and motion from the other side of the brook. Then into the brush along the dry run. Calling the whole way. Another wren was singing across the brook the whole time. I got the impression it was calling to its partner to let it know it was going in to the feeder. Also it knew I was there. It was interesting. 

At times I had a child like sense of wonder during my sit. The leaves in yellows, oranges and reds were floating all around The Little Forrest. The chickadees flying, singing, calling, exclaiming everywhere. I was at times not really looking at any one thing, rather I was taking it all in. Like when I was a child in a field at night full of fireflies. It was really wonderful!

Merlin identified 19 species. I saw 9 species. 

Gusty

 8:15 to 9:15am, 44 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 15mph NW, Bar 30.03 rise

Gusty morning. I could feel the wind down in the Fall Brook Valley. That is unusual. Birds were chattier than I thoght they would be. A good number of Black-capped Chickadees flitting about. A larger number of Tufted Titmice than normal. The wind has noticeably thinned the foliage overnight. Winter comes early to Maine. Going to have to think about warm clothes for sitting in the cold. 

If you do not show up, you can not get lucky! 

Merlin Identified 13 species. I saw 7. I also saw a Downy Woodpecker(above) and a Mourning Dove. Not bad considering the wind.

Tapas

 9:00 to 9:40am, 51 Degrees, Cloudy/Drizzle/Rain, Wind 12mph S, Bar 29.87 fall

Tapas: the Sanskrit word for heat. I yoga's ethical guides, The Yamas and Niyamas, Tapas means self discipline. Leaves coming down as consistently  as a gentle snow. Motion calling my eyes to see if it was my more than human friends. As I sat in the wind and rain, I thought about discipline. Consistent practice. Frequent practice. Practice makes progress! 

Some birds were chatty today. The Black-capped Chickadees were about and boisterous as always. A couple of Blue Jays came in. No doubt looking for peanuts. I had been bringing a handful of peanuts down for my sits. They will grab peanuts when I am there but not eat at the feeder. Today the one pictured above, let out a bunch of calls right above me. Was my friend saying that dude forgot the peanuts! Loudly so all the creatures in The Little Forrest would know. Or was it something else. It shall remain a mystery. 

As the rain increased, I was thinking of why I am doing the practice of sitting. Just sitting in a forrest being has health benefits: physical and mental. There is that. Also, It is my home project for KSMOL level 2. I wish to tell the story of The Little Forrest. It has become more than just that project. I am excited to see what comes next. The seasons change. I do not really enjoy the cold, however I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the winter. 

Merlin Identified 10 species. I saw 3. Merlin showed Cedar Waxwing for the first time in weeks. I had thought they had gone for the winter. Maybe a few stick around. More will be revealled.

Fall

 2:30 to 3:30 pm, 59 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 10mph NNW, Bar 30.15 even

It is definitely fall in the Fall Brook Valley. It is that time of year. Clear and cool. The leaves are falling. It is easier to see into The Little Forrest. I am not sure what the gusts were. I could feel the wind down by the brook. The brook sits about twenty feet below the north and west rims of the valley. The condominiums on the west are another thirty feet above that. Wind does not come down to the floor often.  today most of the motion was from wind and the leaves falling. 

The only real bird highlight was a Red-bellied Woodpecker giving loud clear calls above my head. I wish I could have found it. Their heads are such a wonderful bright red. The wind kept most of my more than human friends in their quiet spots. Mostly I sat with the wind.

Merlin Identified 9 species. I saw 5 of those. I also saw White-breasted Nuthatch and Goldfinches. With the wind Merlin does not pick up as much. 

If A Tree Falls...

 8:30 to 10:00am, 48 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 5mph NW, Bar 29.75 even

If a tree falls in The Little Forrest it makes a lot of noise! A tree fell during my sit. In grade school there was some philosophical debate. If a tree falls in the forrest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a noise? Having spent time in The Little Forrest these past few months, I think, what a ridiculous debate. Only someone totally removed from nature would think of such a thing. It is so human centric. Our more than human friends are always there. And they hear! There is no hermetically sealed forrest without them. Nature abhors a vacuum. 

It was an interesting experience. Yes, it made noise. A good bit for sure. The tree was partly down and covered in vines. A wall of green just across Fall Brook from where I sit. I swiveled around to see the tree and what happened. I was amazed by the amount of bird activity. Many birds flying up and away from the tree on the ground. I do not know what kind as they were in silhouette. Or how many. When you add in the bird chatter, it is hard to estimate. Certainly, more than a hundred. Five hundred is believable. A thousand seems a stretch. The bird chatter went on for about five minutes. Before it returned to todays baseline. 

The birds were active and visible today. The past two days not so much. I am not so in tune with The Little Forrest that I can discern what is different. The only way to get in tune more is time in The Little Forrest. Practice makes progress. There was a five minute period where the birds were quiet. I, and Merlin, heard a Red Tailed Hawk. It was loud, close. Then back to todays baseline. At one point, I thought a Carolina Wren sounded funny. I looked at Merlin and saw Marsh Wren. Unlikely in Portland Today. Was it there? I do not know. Probably, is my guess. 

Merlin Identified 22 species. I saw 12. Herring Gull and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were not on the Merlin list. I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. My bird of the day. 

What other philososphical debates seem silly after sitting in nature long enough?

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

 Red-breasted Nuthatch October 2026. In Maine they are known as Lobster-breasted Nuthatches.