Core Routines: Sit Spot, Expanding the Senses, Questioning and Tracking
Skills Practiced: Auditory tracking, pattern recognition, attention to alarms and baseline
Ecological Indicators: Birds, mammals, wind
Qualities Fostered: Stillness, Alertness, Curiosity
Directions (Shields): Northwest (Observe), North (Insight), Northeast (Integration)
Suggested Age Range: 10+ (requires patience and some understanding of baseline behavior)
Timing & Energy Level: Slow, rich, and layered—perfect midday or after lunch (North/Northeast)
Set-Up & Materials:
- Sit Spots near active bird habitat
- Journals or memory-based sharing
- Optional bird guide or field notes
Description:
Each participant chooses a Sit Spot and listens closely to bird calls, spacing, and behavior. After 10–20 minutes, they return to the group and share observations. Did the birds go quiet suddenly? Was there an alarm call? Were they feeding calmly? Through repeated practice, learners begin to discern “baseline” bird behavior from alerts caused by predators, humans, or other disturbances. Over time, this becomes a deep tracking skill rooted in sensory ecology.
Coyote Mentoring Tips:
- Prime with a simple question: “What are the birds telling you today?”
- Teach the 5 Voices of the Birds over time—don’t rush
- Start with your own curiosity: “I wonder what caused that silence…”
Variations:
- Pair with journaling, story mapping, or sketching
- Use the “Bird Sit Challenge”: 3 days in the same place
- Walk silently to Sit Spots to reduce human disruption
Debrief Prompts:
- “What was the mood of the birds today?”
- “Did anything shift during your sit?”
- “What might have caused the alarm?”
Story Seeds:
- Bird as messenger stories (Indigenous and mythic traditions)
- Personal moments of warning or signal in nature
- Tales of listening through the silence