Among Birds and Trees—Finding Presence in Nature

For many of my life, I didn’t discover bushes. Positive, I noticed them, however nothing registered. My acutely aware mind didn’t be aware of something about them. I used to be so preoccupied with the remainder of life that bushes have been primarily invisible. The identical was true of birds. They have been throughout, but I don’t recall ever really seeing birds rising up. As I’ve began to deliberately search for birds over the past yr, I discover myself questioning what number of occasions I had seen a California Towhee or Northern Mockingbird as a baby. Tons of? Possibly. However after I began birding final yr, I might have sworn that was the primary time I had seen both one.  

As soon as I began noticing bushes, I started studying about them. I’ve quite a lot of oaks the place I reside within the Sierra Foothills, so I naturally started some analysis into the best way to determine several types of oaks. As I checked out a tree, I might attempt to determine whether or not it was Valley, Blue, Black, Stay, and many others. I started to note their leaves and bark. I noticed the cavities Acorn Woodpeckers would make, and the bushes designated for acorn storage.  I witnessed the Oak Titmouse hopping by means of the branches, by no means staying in the identical place for lengthy, and a White-breasted Nuthatch sticking to the bark like a gecko.   

Lots of my work friends can take a look at a tree they usually know the Latin identify, life stage, well being, and age. They see the identical Oak Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch but in addition know their nesting conduct, weight loss program, and incubation interval. They’ll rattle off 100 info about seemingly any species on the panorama.   

Data is extraordinarily precious — from with the ability to determine a California Towhee to realizing that Quercus lobata have a few of the largest xylem vessels of any North American oak. And but, I additionally marvel: Does realizing extra a few tree equate to realizing that tree extra? Do info realized exchange time spent? Do tutorial levels exchange purposeful presence? As I spend extra trip within the fields and forests, listening and observing, I’ve realized that training mixed with presence creates a phenomenal lens to actually know the world.  

So, what does presence appear like in nature? Nothing. It seems like nothing. It seems like no expectation, no judgement, no categorization, and no separation. It doesn’t isolate or rank. It doesn’t appraise or file. Presence is full immersion, acceptance, and attunement.  If this sounds onerous, that’s as a result of it’s. Solely you possibly can maintain your self accountable. It takes follow and endurance as we study to take a seat in stillness and vacancy. In uncommon glimpses, we’ll expertise all of it. Then perhaps in the future we are able to lastly commerce the concept of a tree for what it’s, proper there in entrance of us — uncooked, distinctive, current.    

The wonder is within the relentless acceptance of the second. Presence doesn’t exclude or choose. It isn’t certain by title, cash, or mind. As an alternative, it grounds us all in solidarity with the world round us. How typically are you absolutely current? What number of occasions have you ever seen a tree?