Gordon's Sit Spot

Spring is just beginning to be sprung as I go back to my sit spot. The red maples are budding and the sky is dotted with the red clusters of growth and potential. The sugar maples and Norway maples are beginning to bud as well but not as aggressively or brightly as the acer rubrums. […]

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My sit spot is nested on the side of a hill where a northern hardwood forest mixed with pines meets a wetland. Where I am actually seated, on the trunk of a large downed white pine, is surrounded by hemlocks and maples. This spot would be classified as a northern hardwood community based on the […]

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May has come and with it comes warmer weather, intense stress, and too many things to do. However, joy is found in May as many migratory bird species return and the trees begin to flower and leaf bringing color and song back to the woods. I frequently return to my phenology spot now. It is […]

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Over this semester’s spring break I returned to my home in Arlington Virginia. My week was spent with friends, family, and in the woods. the first notable natural encounter from my break happened while driving through my suburban neighborhood. As I was cruising down the road a bird glided up right in front of my […]

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After weeks of being away from the spot not much has changed. The hardwoods still have no leaves, the ground is still covered in snow, and the birds have not yet completely returned. Chickadees are still the majority of animals I see with gray squirrels coming in a close second. The biggest change is the […]

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This past week’s snowfall has added a new element to the experience in Centennial Woods, tracking. For the most part, larger animals stay hidden from human view during the day. However, when snow falls evidence of their movements and activities become visible. After the first snow fall I bundled up and ran out to the […]

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Centennial woods has a interesting use history. Initially the land that is now designated as a natural area was farmland. Most everything was clearcut except for a few trees that one can see evidence of in the forest now. Then after the field was abandoned pines began to repopulate the area. The largest pines in […]

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Over the relaxing thanksgiving break I went back to my home in Arlington Virginia. For this blog post I chose the closest national park to my house, Great Falls National Park. This park straddles the potomac river and is characterized by the rushing river, great falls, and steep cliffs. Virginia is a few weeks behind […]

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The newest addition to my sit spot is the close proximity to a beaver dam! Other than that most of the hardwood canopy has disappeared and all that is left is the towering white pines with there evergreen needles. Also the composition of birds I see when sitting in my spot has changed. There are […]

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This week was a week of discoveries. I discovered, first and foremost, a barred owl and most likely where it roosts. I have taken to calling him Barry. The location of his home has to be kept a secret so he is not disturbed. I feel bad exploring the area because every time I walk […]

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