Keeping a bird watching journal-field

notebook
It is said that the difference between a person who
simply enjoys nature and a true naturalist is that a
naturalist keeps a field journal. Amateur and
professional bird watchers, artists, and
philosophers have long kept such records of their
thoughts and observations, but now an increasing
number of citizen scientists are taking up the work
of documenting nature.

Keeping a journal, regardless of our ultimate goal,

helps us “see” more clearly and completely.
Noting what you see in a journal makes your eyes
active participants, requiring a visual judgment:
What exactly am I seeing? How would I describe
it – its color, texture, movement? What is it doing?

Journals versus Field Notes for Bird Watching

Although field notes and nature journals do overlap, they sometimes serve different purposes. The goal
of keeping field notes is usually to document key points of your bird observations for the purpose of
identification, data collection, or other purposes. Size, distinctive markings, habitual movements,
unusual postures, voice, and flight behavior – all of which are critical in credibly documenting bird
sightings – are typically captured in field notes. Journals, while often including some of the same types
of observations as recorded in field notes, are intended to document the observer’s increasing personal
understanding of the observed creatures – and of oneself. I want you to create a dual-purpose journal-
field notebook that incorporates both attributes. Feel free to be creative, draw, cut-and-paste images,
take pictures or embed videos, this project is entirely up to you. You can use a real notebook or an
electronic document to which you will add your text, drawings, and pictures. The advantage of a real
notebook is that you can get more hands-on and can draw freely, tape or glue in feathers or other
physical objects, or add images you have cut out of magazines or printed from your phone or camera.
You will then compile this document as a pdf for electronic upload to Canvas. Contact me if you have
technical difficulties but I want you to explore the best option for yourself first.

The only discoveries that matter in a journal are personal. Our journal entries, for example, document
the behaviors that species exhibit in the spring and so will be limited in that respect, but this time of year
should allow for interesting nesting and breeding behaviors to be observed. You are encouraged to
include entries describing how individual species of birds make you feel.

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While field notes reside in the realm of the scientist, the nature journal-field notebook is a way to tap
into the creative flow, to generate a meditative tranquility through a creative act. But one need not be a
professional scientist, philosopher, writer, or artist to keep a bird-watching journal-field notebook: The
benefits are the same for anybody who takes the time to observe and ponder the wonders of nature.

In many ways this is meant to be a personal endeavor. It is entirely up to you what to include in your
journal-field notebook, and no one should tell you how to keep one. What follows are ideas that others
have used – not rules.

Some Journaling Guidelines

1. If you are intimidated by your lack of writing ability, remember that your writing will not be evaluated, only
the perspective you present and the ability to integrate the material we are learning in class. You should try to
write concisely, directly and objectively but the point of journaling is the activity itself. On the other hand, I
strongly encourage you to make the journal-field notebook a valid scientific endeavor and to share your work
with other people who are bird watchers. You may even wish to start a journaling circle among your friends and
compare and discuss your observations over time. But if you do, set a ground rule at the beginning: You don’t
have to be Hemingway to keep a worthwhile bird-watching journal-field notebook.

2. Grammar doesn’t count but proper spelling of scientific terms and proper writing of scientific names does.
The quickest way to destroy the joy of creation is to demand perfection but the basic guidelines of scientific
writing will apply here. All scientific names should be italicized or underlined with the species name capitalized
(i.e, Homo sapiens or Homo sapiens) but be consistent with the format you choose. Numbers under 10 should
be written out (i.e., two American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were aggressively defending the feeder from
three Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus).

3. Try drawing some things. It doesn’t matter how they come out – though your attempts will surely get better
over time if you stick with it.

4. Your journal can’t be ruined. It is a record of your learning experiences and failed experiments, and dead
ends are part of learning. Crossed out words and imperfect drawings are found in the best of journals. Don’t be
a perfectionist…move on to the next entry!

5. You don’t have to make observations or write in your journal every day. In fact, it’s best if you wait until
you’re in the mood. But you probably want to keep your journal near the window by the bird feeder, or near the
computer because journaling can become addictive.

GRADING. The grades you earn on your journal-field notebook will be based equally upon your observations
(33%), interpretations relating to class material (33%) and your personal reflections (33%).

The Journal Keeper’s Tools

Start your journaling journey by assembling your supplies, and have fun collecting them. Keeping a
journal need not be expensive. In fact, all those blank pages may intimidate you less if you use a less
expensive book. We recommend the following items:

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Blank books. Blank books (as opposed to lined notebooks) provide more flexibility if you decide to add
sketches, leaf collections, or feathers. Choose a size that is comfortable to write in. If your children will
be contributing, at least 8 x 11 is best. That way you will have plenty of room to glue in their artistic
endeavors. It doesn’t matter whether the book is hard- or softcover, though you will need a hardcover or
clipboard if you think you might take the book on nature hikes or walks through your neighborhood.
Find a book with paper that has a smooth surface and is of reasonable quality – especially if you will be
drawing in it or gluing things to it.

Pens and pencils. Some journal devotees have special pens that they use only with their journals, to
make the act feel more like a special ritual. Using the same ink color over time for the main body of
your writing will provide some visual consistency from entry to entry. You can use colored pens and
pencils to highlight dates, draw fanciful borders, or punch up areas of text as your whims dictate. Or if
you prefer simplicity, a disposable pen is just fine.

Figure 2. Always add a caption to your images. A Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) takes flight
demonstrating the complex motion possible from bilateral symmetry.

Art supplies as needed. Optional. Other supplies that might be helpful in your journal kit are art
stamps, ink-pad, spray adhesive (for sticking pictures in your book), watercolors, kneaded eraser, ruler,
scissors, and even stickers. It’s important that you have lots of fun collecting and using these items, so
that you will be less inclined to abandon your journal once the novelty wears off. Use this as an
opportunity to teach biology to someone else, especially children and get them enthusiastic about
observing nature.

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The Basic Entry
The basic journal-field notebook entry must contain the following:

• Date: in this format [12-April-2020] and Time of Day: in 24-hour format [13:45 – 15:45].
• Location: name the feeding station (place, city, state, country) or the location of where you made the
observation, GPS coordinates are ideal (many apps are available).
• Weather conditions: high and low temperatures for the day, and general weather conditions (sunny,
raining, thunderstorms, snowing, windy). If you are a weather maven, you may want to include
comments about cloud formations or observations that may indicate coming weather.
• Methods: observed the Red-tailed hawk nest cam for one hour. Observed my hummingbird feeder for
30 minutes.
• List of bird species and counts of birds:
• Behavior: what they are doing.
• An interesting aspect of the species’ natural history from your own research: (i.e., the Anna’s
Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a full-time resident in the PNW and does not migrate south).

Optional information for context may include:

• What’s blooming: Document any flowering plants you observe or what has bloomed recently in your
observation area. This may affect the types of birds you notice.
• Relative abundance of bird species: numbers of the same species, pairs or juveniles etc.
• Other animals: insects or mammals.

Let your journal-field notebook take you where it will. If you are insecure about writing paragraphs,
make a few notations. Write lists. Use all your senses, listen to recordings of bird songs, observe unusual
color patterns and watch for unique or uncommon behaviors.

If you see an interesting, colorful, beautiful, or otherwise noteworthy bird that you can’t identify, try to
capture some detailed information about it or take a picture of it if you can for later identification.
Although you may be more of a philosopher than a scientist, you don’t want to miss the thrill of a rare
bird sighting. Field guides include some helpful ideas on what to look for. In particular, record the
following:

• Overall size (small, medium, large).

• Color and size of the bill; color of the eyes, legs, and feet (if you can see them).
• Color and pattern of the plumage: include side of the head and neck, back, rump, tail (including size and
shape), wings (wing bars present?), the underparts: chin, throat, breast, belly, and under the tail. Note
any crests or ornamental feathers.
• Vocalizations: Use your own words to describe the call – not those of the field guides.
• Behavior: What is the bird doing? Is it feeding, guarding the feeder, or foraging in the foliage if you are
observing away from a feeder? Does it wag its tail or hold it in an unusual position (do you notice any
other quirks)?
• Take a picture with your phone or camera, or use screen capture (use the snipping tool, to freeze a
particular moment at the feeder, you can click on and off for new action).
• Do a quick sketch if you can.

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Journaling for Nonwriters
If you are not a writer, it is easy to become blocked before you even start. Facing a blank page can be
stressful. One way to begin is to record your experience of what is happening at the moment. And to
experience that moment, we need to let go of our self-consciousness.

One way to let go of self-consciousness is to use stream-of-consciousness writing. Don’t think, just
write whatever comes to mind on the topic at hand. If you start straying from the subject (“The cardinal
pair are at my feeder this morning. The male selects a seed, flies to the female below the feeder, and
presents it to her. I really need to fill the birdfeeders this weekend”), gently bring yourself back by using
one of your other senses (“The temperature is chilly and the cardinal pair look fat in their fluffed
feathers”).

Learning to See
A journal-field notebook helps the heart and the mind reconnect with nature. As you record your
observations, you are learning about how nature works. A journal-field notebook can remind you when
things happened (“I noticed that the male goldfinch was in breeding plumage is mid-April but the field
guide says this happens in May). They also may form the basis of how you feel about the world around
you by increasing your awareness of nature and the precariousness of life in general. I am often in awe
of how a small bird like a Dark-eyes Junco (Junco hyemalis), weighing a few ounces can survive the

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brutality of winters in eastern Washington. You may be able to draw parallels to your own life and
family and gain a better understanding of yourself in the process. Your notes can even help you use field
guides to better effect by jogging your memory long after the observed bird has come and gone. Feel
free to comment about other birds you have observed in the past that you may not have been able to
identify.

Laura Sewell, in her book Sight and Sensibility: The Ecopsychology of Perception, describes five ways
of seeing beyond the surface of things.

• Learning to be mindful. What is really happening in the present?

• Perceiving depth. Using all your senses, you become part of what you observe.
• Seeing relationships and context. It is cold, so the cardinals are fluffed up to keep warm. The sparrows
at the feeder seem to have a pecking order. The less dominant vacate their position when the more
dominant arrive (this is intra-specific competition).
• Learning to see things that happen in time scales different from our own. Noting that the goldfinches
molt according to a seasonal pattern. Think about metabolism in this respect.
• Observing with our imaginations. The birds at my feeder seem to have personalities and I can relate to
them as individuals.

Try to use different ways of perceiving to stimulate and inspire your writing.

Illustrations for Nonartists

You don’t have to be an artist to create beautiful bird-watching journals. Although some people illustrate
their journals with magnificent sketches or watercolors, there are many other ways to highlight and
beautify your entries. There’s nothing wrong with a little well-earned pride in your journal.

Unique fonts and borders. Some people use colored markers or pencils to highlight the date or
important passages. Try drawing in some of your text vertically or diagonally for variation. Some
journal keepers draw fanciful borders around their pages or place text in circles. The key is to use your
imagination.

Stamps. You can obtain decorative stamps and ink from any craft store to embellish your work, or you
can have fun creating your own stamps from natural materials. For example, try pressing a leaf or
feather on your stamp pad or brushing it with ink and pressing the item onto your journal page. We
guarantee you’ll be pleased with the result.

Pressed leaves and flowers. Pressed leaves and flowers may be glued into your notebook with magical
effect. If you prefer a journal that is a little less lumpy, scan flowers or leaves into your computer, print
the results using a color printer, and glue the image onto your entry page. Try to use flowers or leaves
that are important to the birds that you are observing, or that remind you of a particular moment.

Photos. A regular or digital photograph can really enhance your observations. Be sure to describe the
action and location in the caption. Birds rarely sit still very long, so make sure your phone or camera is
always close at hand.

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Drawings. Sketching has long been the preferred means to illustrate a journal. It is low tech,
inexpensive, and immediate. Take a few chances with your own artwork and feel free to use a pencil,
pen, felt-tip pen, crayon, colored pencil, or whatever you feel comfortable with. One thing is certain:
The more often you take a stab at drawing what you observe or imagine, the better you will become at
drawing, observing, and imagining. I always enjoy seeing student drawings.

Keeping a journal-field notebook to document your experience with bird-watching will make your
interactions with nature more rewarding and you will learn something. It can be a relaxing, even
meditative process while you are integrating concepts and terminology that is brand new to you. And it
will give you something to do with all that stay-at-home time.

Journal Samples

Useful bird links:

https://ebird.org/home?logout=true
https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home
https://www.3billionbirds.org/
https://www.audubon.org/
http://www.birdweb.org/Birdweb/
https://www.sibleyguides.com/
Outline taken in part from Alan and Linda Zuckerman.