Learning to Look, by Alex Luzier

 

Normally when on a hike or while walking through a park, I observe my surroundings. I take in the trees, the river, and the brush on the ground. I notice the smells, I notice the insects and animals, and I notice the changing colors in correlation to the changing seasons. But this is just observing; this is just recognizing my location and the surrounding environment. What I really need to learn how to do, and what I aspire to do well, is to look. Just like the definition of looking for something, by ‘looking’ I mean that I possess the knowledge to go outdoors and understand what specifically I could find in the area that I’m in. Typically I venture into the woods and just appreciate what I see, however I’d like to venture into the woods and know what I could see; what animals, organisms, trees, plants, and waterways run through that particular area of land. This way, when I see something, it becomes that much more exciting.

This idea struck home with me while on a walk into White Clay Creek State Park this past Thursday. I was walking with my friend when an elderly man approached us. The man was walking his two dogs, so we were already delighted that he decided to talk to us. We immediately bent down to pet the dogs however; he didn’t come over just so that his dogs would get some extra petting time. He says, “Do you know why I’m back in this area today?” Of course I responded, “No” since I had never met this man before, nor did I recognize this particular area of White Clay as anything different than its surrounding areas. He turned on his small digital camera and starts flipping through the photos until he lands on the one he wanted to show me. It’s an extremely clear photo of a large Barred Owl sitting on a tree branch in White Clay. “It was about 40 yards away, right up there in that tree,” he says, “I saw it yesterday on my daily walk with my boys [the dogs].” At this point I’m stunned, no exaggeration. He continues to tell me that this type of owl lives in wooded areas with large trees and near water. Even though we hadn’t meandered that far into the depths of White Clay, the habitat was perfect for Barred Owls. He then tells me that he wishes he had his better camera with him, and that’s when I notice a huge Nikon camera around his neck. All I can think is, “he’s frustrated with his perfectly clear photo because he believes he could’ve gotten a better one, whereas I wouldn’t have even thought to take a picture because I’d be too mesmerized that I saw an actual owl.” He notices my expression of disbelief and replies, “Have you never seen an owl?” And this is when it hit me. No, I’ve never seen an owl in the wild; I’ve only seen them in zoos. And is this normal? Possibly, since owls are nocturnal and sleep in high crevices in trees. But this man knew what type of owl it was, knew that some lived in this area, and used this knowledge every time he walked through this part of White Clay. He didn’t go looking for these owls, but since he knew there was a possibility of some being around, he would stop and look for them whenever he was in that area.

I was dumbfounded because without talking to this man, I never would have known that this beautiful creature lives in the area I walk or run through every week. I observe the area; I perceive the land I’m running through; yet I was missing one of the coolest creatures around, in my opinion. Without talking to this man, I never would have known to look for a Barred Owl. I want to learn what types of organisms and plants live in the areas I walk through, even the organisms that are least expected to see. I want to be able to observe, but also try to look for something that I know could possibly be around.

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