Nature Observer Archives

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – May 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Project

May 2018

I love spring!

Keeping a nature journal helps to remind me to slow down and create a record of some of the amazing things we see and experience as each week goes by. It’s easy to let the days slip away without taking note of the beautiful spring changes. But the sense of satisfaction as I flip back through my nature journal pages encourages me to keep at it even when I have a busy week.

I’m even trying to draw and paint more in my journal which is far out of my comfort zone.

I hope you are inspired to stop for a few creative moments this week to make a page in your journal and make the opportunity for your children to do the same.

Here are my entries for May!

We had a weekend trip over to the Willamette Valley for a few days of camping. We did a little hiking along the river and I so enjoyed the wildflowers! Not only the wildflowers, but the birds made this weekend special by providing the birdsong that followed us everywhere.

One day the sun was shining and the temperatures were warm so we decided to take my husband’s new fishing boat out on the lake. He rowed around fishing until his pole fell into the water! I sat on the shore watching the clouds, the birds, and the water…my happy place. We ended the day with a hike around the lake which yielded a fantastic bald eagle sighting. We were able to get close up and see him sitting on the top of a tree. Great memories!

One morning we were eating breakfast and looking out the window just like we normally do each day. My husband noticed an unusual bird hanging onto our suet feeder. He had unusual coloring and I grabbed my binoculars to get a closer look. He stuck around long enough that we got to make some notes of distinctive features and that enabled us to find him in our field guide. He was a Lewis’ woodpecker. This is a rather large woodpecker and he flew away with flapping wings. I’ve since seen another one alongside the road when I was out with a friend. I love being able to name a bird…makes it so special.

We have seen such changes in our landscape this month. I created a nature journal record of the many special moments we’ve had just out our back door. We spotted river otters in the river. We have marveled at swallows and chickadees building nests in our nesting boxes. I was delighted to see our Canada goose family with seven babies swimming in the water. We’ve also seen the return of the wildflowers as well as the tall grasses.

Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.

Don’t forget that I’m sharing a nature journal page each week on my Instagram account if you want to see the pages as they unfold. Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. And, if you want to create a page and share it on your Instagram for me to see, use the hashtag #OHCnaturejournal.

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – April 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Examples

April 2018

Things are starting to look like spring around here and we’ve had an abundance of bird sightings and animals to watch. Seeing these things inspires me to get out my nature journal and get busy. I’ve found this to be the key to nature journaling: Find something interesting in nature to put on the page whether it’s a sketch, some words, a list, or a photo.

I’m still struggling with my sketching abilities (note the ground squirrel page below) but I know that practice makes perfect.

I wrote about this dilemma in an earlier blog post:

Drawing and Your Nature Journal

Here’s another entry I wrote that explains a few ways to get started with sketching:

3 Tips for Nature Journaling When You Think You Can’t Sketch

Above all, remember that a nature journal is a personal record of your own experiences in nature. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The only mistake you can make is to not take a few minutes each week to put something down on paper. Photos are great but taking the process to the next step makes a more lasting impression.

Here are my weekly entries for April!

I’m pretty happy with my lodgepole pine nature journal page. I managed to get a decent sketch of the tree shape along with some facts and a quote. Doing the research for this page has enabled me to pick out the lodgepole pines in our forest. My eyes now see the 2 needle bundles and the dead branches at the bottom of the trunk which helps me identify this particular pine from the others.

In an attempt to get to know my local habitat better, I decided to create a simple chart in my nature journal that compares the most common shrubs in our area. It took some time to do the research but it has already helped me pick out the bitterbrush from the rabbitbrush by contrasting leaf shape and color. I may eventually add a few more shrubs to my journal on another page.

It is thrilling to identify a new bird! We often saw a bird fly up and away from the edge of the slough when we were out river walking. Many days with binoculars and time on the internet have helped us identify the Wilson’s snipe! Of course, he made it into my nature journal and I’m fairly happy with the sketch.

One day we were sitting and looking out our back window. My husband spotted the ground squirrel scurrying along our fence line. It was the first time seeing them outside their holes, which we’ve seen all over the back of our property. Since that first sighting, I’ve seen several sitting up on top of a dead tree stump in the sun.

The forest floor is starting to come alive and one of the first things to be sprouting leaves is the wax currant. The leaves are an interesting shape and the little bell shaped flowers are pretty. We’ll be watching to see the berries later in the season.

I loved working on this page from the Nature Observer journal this month. The prompt was to note one surprising thing in nature each day for a week. I may do this again in my other journal.

What’s made it into your journal this week?

Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – March 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Examples

March 2018

We’re still in the midst of winter weather…no spring yet! But, that hasn’t kept us from getting outside and enjoying the amazing clouds, birds, and weather that greets us each day. I had a friend ask me this week if I’m suffering from the loss of spring green and early wildflowers that she has in California and I could honestly say that it hasn’t been a big deal to me. We moved here to experience something different and that is exactly what we’re feeling here in the middle of March. I created a sign on my chalkboard to remind me of an important fact…

Spring will come and I will be just as excited about it in May as I would’ve been in March.

We’re busy planning the landscaping in our backyard right now. Doing the research on plants and trees and shrubs that thrive here in our harsh climate has made my heart happy in anticipation. We want to get it right so it’s taking a lot of research to decide which plants will give some color and depth to our very flat piece of land. We don’t want to obstruct our view of the mountains so everything needs to be viewed in light of how it will affect the sight lines from our back windows and from the future patio. More on that project in an upcoming post!

Here are my weekly entries from March!

I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Great Backyard Bird Count since it’s our first here in Oregon. We had some surprise bird visitors just in time to be officially counted for the event.

I wanted to record our March nature events as they unfolded so this two page spread will allow me to add to the journal throughout the month. I should have called it “not really spring yet” instead of “almost spring”.

I’m still going strong with the Nature Observer journal that I began in January. The premade pages encourage me to record things I wouldn’t otherwise think about including in my journal. The pages shown here are both to record the winter bird visitors we observe during this season on one page and then another page to record migratory birds we’ll see in future seasons that are not here now. These pages required some research on my part but I love that kind of work. It impressed on me more deeply the rhythm and cycles of bird migration here in Central Oregon. It’s a way we can anticipate the changing seasons and view a bird’s comings and goings as a natural sign of the time of year.

Bonus! Plus here is a page from my archives that you can create in your journal using the March 2014 newsletter printables.

March 2014 Nature Journal Topper Printable List

This is from my 2014 nature journal where I was using a little bit larger page (Mixed Media Side Wire 7 x 10). I was able to use the printable list and nature journal topper from the March 2014 newsletter to create a page using a photo and some journaling. I’m anticipating using this size journal again after I finish my current smaller one (Mixed Media Side Wire 8.5 x 5.5).

Have you taken a look at my updated nature journal page? Here’s a link to see some ideas to inspire you in your journaling efforts.

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer – February 2018

Nature Observer – Journal Examples

February 2018

I’m excited to share my nature journal pages this month! I’ve had some great experiences to record and that makes all the difference in my attitude. When I have things to write about and sketch, I’m eager to open my nature journal to put those memories on paper.

My enthusiasm is sparked in part by using the Nature Observer – Guided Journal.

When you have fun nature observations to include in your journal, it makes it super easy to be motivated!

Make sure you are spending time outdoors looking for interesting things to create nature journal pages about each week….or as often as you can.

Have you seen my Pinterest board for the Once a Month Nature Journal Project? I started this board but there are some really nice pins from group members. Take a look: Once a Month Nature Journal Project.

Here are my weekly entries for February!

There have been so many interesting things observed during our outdoor time so I decided to create a page featuring four of those items. I’m not super happy with the sketches but each one will remind me of a special item we saw and then learned more about during our outdoor time.

I love ponderosa pines and I created a page with some of the interesting things about these magnificent trees. I even managed to draw a decent looking ponderosa pine for the page.

What a surprise! We found this garter snake in our front yard and it became the star of a page in my nature journal.

Hike Map and interesting things nature journal page — From Nature Observer journal

I scheduled a hike at the Deschutes River just so we could complete these two pages in the Nature Observer journal. We had such a wonderful time walking along the riverbank and then it was easy to create a map of the trail and a list of ten things we found interesting.

If you need a little nudge in your nature journaling, I would highly recommend the Nature Observer journal as a starting point to record your nature observations and be inspired to make particular activities happen each month.

Are you keeping a nature journal? What is your biggest challenge to creating entries regularly?

Have you looked at the sample for the newly revised Getting Started with the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebook? I updated and revised the original ebook as part of my 10 year anniversary. The nature study challenges in this ebook can be used over and over for as long as you would like with your children. It’s appropriate for all ages and includes custom notebooking pages for you to print out and use alongside the nature study ideas.

This edition of the Getting Started with the Outdoor Hour Challenge is available in every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Be encouraged! Be inspired! Get outdoors!

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Nature Observer January 2018

Nature Observer January 2018

Don’t you love it when you establish a habit? You know it’s part of your routine when you don’t even think about it anymore and it just happens. After last year’s goal to create a nature journal page a week, I find myself now looking forward to sitting down to focus on something for the journal. Not every page is a masterpiece but each one is a memory or a new thing I have learned.

This new habit will be nurtured this year by using the Nature Observer – Guided Journal.

Keeping a journal stretches me to notice the beauty and wonder

in the things found in my everyday life.

Isn’t that what we hope our children will find in their lives? I know I do even with my grown children. I never want them to get so busy that they forget to note the amazing natural world all around them.

Need inspiration for your nature journals? Here is a link to my Nature Journal page on the Handbook of Nature Study.

I relish counting birds as part of Project Feederwatch each week and see how noting the species and number of birds that visit makes me hyper-aware of any changes or newcomers. This month we identified a new bird visitor, the pygmy nuthatch. What a little, round ball of feathers with lots of energy! I knew it had to be recorded in my nature journal as soon as we discovered it.

This pretty holly-like bush is blushing with color in the January landscape. I notice it as we hike along the river trails in Sunriver and I’m hoping to add it to my backyard as part of the native plants garden we are planning. In the meantime, I will enjoy its pretty shaped and colored leaves in this winter season.

I started on January 1, 2018 with the Nature Observer journal. It has a series of pages for each month that help me keep track of things in my natural world. The page above is a weekly spread where I can note things I observed or I may even at some point sketch on these pages.

Along with a monthly calendar and weekly notes pages, there are unique page prompts for each month. For the month of January, one of the prompts was to note either in words or sketches some of the patterns noted in nature. Each day, I can note any patterns I have observed during my outdoor time. It is a simple suggestion that has definitely opened my eyes to looking for and then observing patterns in nature.

We are continuing to work in the Winter Wednesday series until the end of February 2018. If you would like to follow along, make sure you have subscribed to my blog to receive the Outdoor Hour Challenges in your inbox each Friday.

If you have an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership, you’ll find the Winter Wednesday ebook in your library. The ebook contains all of the custom notebooking pages for each challenge.

Tag: Nature Observer

Nature Observer – May 2018

Nature Observer – April 2018

Nature Observer – Nature Journal Examples

April 2018

Nature Observer – March 2018

Here are my weekly entries from March!

Bonus! Plus here is a page from my archives that you can create in your journal using the March 2014 newsletter printables.

Nature Observer – February 2018

Here are my weekly entries for February!

Nature Observer January 2018

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