On the other side of the telephone wire clearing, past a grove of white pinesĀ I sit on a fallen white pine in and amongst an incredible diversity of organisms, my new seat as an observer. The 100 foot long tree is nestled over two small ridges on the side of a increasingly slanting hill on the edge of a marsh. It lies among some of its brethren and cousins (white pines and hemlocks respectively). Surrounding the fallen tree are ferns and saplings. The young trees consist of an american beech almost completely yellow, newly sprouted boxelders, invading Norway maples, and adolescent elm tree, one lone red oak and a small cluster of chestnut oaks. The larger over members of this family are mostly white pines and hemlocks. There is one black cherry tree who seems to have married into the family.
After sitting for just ten minutes a family or group of robins began to hang out in a pine perfectly in my view and wonderfully lit by the golden hour of sunlight. Twenty minutes later blue jays became more accustomed to my presence and began to flit around the pines and hemlocks. After an hour of personal, quality time with the jays, robins and a woodpecker the sun was beginning to set across the ridge. Just as I looked up and over the swampland a great blue heron glided over the marsh, a blue jay perched curiously close to me, and geese flew directly overhead on their journey south. This moment solidified it, I found my spot.