My Little Observation Project
Okay, so I wanted to share something I’ve been up to lately. Got tired of screens, you know? Needed something… real. I remembered the old stone well at the edge of the woods behind my place. Haven’t paid it much mind in years. Decided I’d just go out there and sit for a bit each day.
First few days, I just went out there. Didn’t really do much. Just sat on an old tree stump nearby. Listened. Watched. It was quiet, mostly. Peaceful.
Then I started noticing things. A specific woodpecker always showed up around mid-morning, hammering away at the old oak tree right next to the well. Then, like clockwork, around late afternoon, a couple of deer would slowly make their way out of the trees, always cautious, heading towards the little stream that runs near the well.
It got me thinking. It was like these animals were running on their own little schedules, centered around this area. The ‘animal clock’, I started calling it in my head. The well seemed to be the anchor point for their visits.
So, I decided to make it a proper little project. Nothing fancy. Grabbed an old notebook and a pen. Started going out there deliberately at different times. Early morning, midday, late afternoon, even just after dusk sometimes.
Here’s what I did:
- Found a comfortable, hidden spot to sit where I wouldn’t disturb things too much.
- Made notes of the time I arrived and left.
- Wrote down every animal I saw – birds, rabbits, squirrels, the deer, even saw a fox once!
- Noted the time they appeared and what they were doing, especially if they interacted with the well area or the stream.
Did this for a few weeks straight. Didn’t miss a day. Some days were slow, not much happened. Other days were busy. Saw a whole family of quail scurrying past one morning. Watched a hawk circling overhead almost every noon.
The well itself needed a bit of attention. Some stones were loose, lots of weeds. Spent an afternoon clearing the worst of the weeds away from the base and made sure the path to the stream was clear. Didn’t want to interfere too much, just tidy up. Felt good, working with my hands.
It wasn’t some big scientific study, obviously. Just me, a notebook, and some patience. But I learned a lot. Saw the rhythm of the local wildlife. How predictable it all was, in its own way. The timing, the routines. It felt grounding, you know? To see that life keeps ticking along, following its own natural clock, right there by that old well.
It was a good practice. Simple. Didn’t cost anything. Just took time and quiet observation. Highly recommend doing something similar if you feel the need to disconnect and just… watch the world for a bit.
