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Field Journaling in Your Backyard

© Cristina Eisenberg

Are you looking for a way to get to know your backyard birds better? Start a field journal. By making regular observations and drawings, you can strengthen your understanding and knowledge of them. As a child you probably saw things with great clarity, but as you grew into adulthood, your observation skills diminished. The blank pages of a field journal invite you to see the world anew and reclaim this sense of wonder.

Field journaling isn't new. The classic journals of Lewis and Clark, Henry David Thoreau, Ernest Thompson Seton, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Ann Zwinger, and Edward Abbey are priceless records that teach us much about the natural world.

Part of the appeal of field journaling lies in its flexibility. There are as many ways to keep a field journal as there are people who keep them. Some people prefer to make precise scientific observations. Others use poetry or prose to record their feelings about nature. Still others draw what they see. My field journals didn't reach their full potential until I began to combine all of these ingredients.

Start with an open mind and a blank book. Get a hard-bound artist's notebook made of acid-free paper. Be sure it's easy to hold. The paper should take a variety of media, including watercolor. Avoid ruled pages, because lines limit your creativity.

You'll need a soft drawing pencil that moves easily across the paper, such as a 3B, and a pen with permanent ink. It doesn't have to be a technical pen-I often use a Deluxe Micro Uni-Ball. Get good quality colored pencils, such as Prismacolor, and a pocket watercolor kit. These items are available at art supply stores. In order to make accurate entries, you'll also need a field guide to birds and a field guide to plants.

Begin with the title page. It should contain your name and the date. Copy an inspiring nature quote or sketch a favorite bird. On the next page make a statement of purpose. Initially your purpose may be simply to observe and record birds in your backyard, but in time this may change.

Get comfortable in your backyard and look around for a few minutes. Find a bird you wish to focus on and look at it with as much concentration as you can muster. Pay attention to details such as field marks, beak length, and stance. Use binoculars or a spotting scope to extend your range of observation.