Tag: Nature Study Goals 2018

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Final Nature Goal Update for 2018

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

4th Quarter Updates – Including Our Amazing North American Beaver

The winter season is upon us as well as the end of another calendar year. I won’t lie. I am so ready for the change. Since the middle of October, I have been sitting and gazing out the window for the most part. After a bilateral hip replacement, for weeks I couldn’t even get in my car because my legs hardly bent.

walking to the river in the snow

Thankfully, the view out my window is never boring and it’s constantly changing, providing endless delight with its animals, birds, clouds, and landscape view of the mountains. But, I watch my husband as he hikes to the river each day with our dog and I’m so ready to be out there with them! I’m learning patience.

Now, as I’m writing this update, I’m a little more mobile and starting to use a cane. The trouble is the weather has descended upon us and many days the snow and icy pavement make it a challenge to walk even with help.

Being confined indoors and doing a lot of sitting was conducive to making plans and thinking of future nature study projects. I made lists of new printable notebook pages for 2019 and planned out six new ebooks full of exciting nature study topics. I’m also reading lots of nature related books and field guides. My own nature journal has received a lot of attention as I keep notes of animals we capture on our critter cam and I catch up on things I’ve wanted to learn about from previous adventures. In the end, I’m making good use of my down time as I recover from this major surgery.

Dreaming of the new trails I will explore with new hips and no pain.

 

Now for the results of my 4th quarter goals-

Nature Observer guided journal 2018 collage

Finish up the year in my Nature Observer Guided Journal.

Successfully stuck with this journal all year! I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this project. This pre-planned journal provided just the motivation I needed to keep a regular, almost daily, record of our nature experiences. It has inspired me to continue this routine and even improve on it with some ideas I thought of as I worked through the suggested activities.

This is the nature journal I used for the 2018 year and LOVED it! Please know this is an Amazon affiliate link to a book I purchased and used and love and highly recommend.


Project Feederwatch 2018 tally in Nature ObserverParticipate in Project Feederwatch.

Accomplished this!  Counting birds is just a given in our weekly routine. 10 species so far, 50 total birds counted.
barb at the river for the first time dec 2018
Walk as much as possible, allowing for healing from my hip surgery.

Accomplished! I’m back at my daily walking, even if it’s just down the driveway to look at the trees and birds. I’ve made it out the back gate a couple times, but the frozen snow and ground are a little bit difficult for me still. It will be a joy to walk freely and I’m starting to see the end of this challenging recovery.

Read at least two nature related books from my personal library.

Accomplished! I’ve been reading so much! I pulled lots more books off my own book shelves and ordered up loads of books from my local public library. I rarely get the chance to just sit and read so what a pleasure it has been to stick my nose in a book.

beavers at the river nov 2018
The most exciting nature find of the year happened during this last quarter of 2018. We finally captured a video of the beaver we’ve been chasing since last year. We used my critter cam and put it down by the river where we noticed they were gnawing on a tree. Then, after it was down on the ground, we were able to position the camera between the river and the tree. At last! We not only saw one beaver but two working together to take the limbs off the tree and then drag them down into the water. What an awesome experience!

It’s been a wonderful year of nature study for me personally. As always, I’m looking forward to setting and working on new goals in 2019.

Nature Study Goals 2019 Planning Page

Would you like to join me? I’ve created a planning sheet for you to use as you create your nature study goals. Please feel free to print and share as much as you like. If you post your goals somewhere on the internet, send me the link and I will pop over and read your thoughts!

Nature Study Goals 2019 Planning Page

Thanks for your support of all I do here on the Handbook of Nature Study!

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Nature Goals Update – 3rd Quarter 2018

Nature Goals 2018

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

As the third quarter of 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to evaluate my nature goals. I can rejoice in my achievements and set a plan in motion for the goals yet to be achieved. You can read my original goals here: Nature Goals 2018.

3rd Quarter 2018

  1. Continue to use the Nature Observer journal to keep a record of my nature study experiences. Focus more on sketching. Accomplished
  2. Keep a record of the wildflowers that grow in my local habitat. Note the day they start to bloom and where we see them for future reference. Accomplished
  3. Visit the High Desert Museum each month, each time focusing on a different exhibit. Partially Accomplished
  4. Visit the nature center at Sunriver.  Ask about volunteering. In addition, make note of their garden and the native plants they have growing there as a reference in planning our backyard garden. Postponed until next year
  5. Take 3 new hikes.  Partially Accomplished
  6. Get the kayaks out in a new place locally. Accomplished

Nature Observer august

My constant and daily routine of writing in my Nature Observer Guided Journal continues to help me see the beauty of the world around me, no matter the weather or circumstances. The value of this kind of daily journal is becoming clearer and clearer to me as I make my way through 2018. Even if I only jot down a sentence or two along with the weather, I can see patterns and season markers that give me insight into my local habitat.

I did continue to keep track of our wildflowers, recording a list in my Nature Observer Guided Journal. This is why I love this journal so much! I can adapt the pages to fit my current interests and very easily be reminded to add to the list.

Wildflower list august Nature Observer

These lists will be ongoing in my journal as a way of keeping track of bloom time and new flowers observed.

John Muir journal pages

We visited the High Desert Museum in July with our daughter to see the History of Rock Climbing exhibit. Fabulous! It covered not only the history, but there was some actual climbing equipment to check out and my favorite part of it all was a portion of a John Muir journal describing his climb to the brink of Yosemite Falls.

High Desert Museum July

In August we visited the museum with my sister and her husband.  We attended the Raptors of the Sky exhibition together because both of us absolutely love these large birds. The event is held outdoors and it allows the raptors to fly really close to you in the audience. A few times I thought they were going to actually brush my hair with their wings because they came so close! My favorite bird in the exhibition was the barn owl with his wings flying noiselessly through the air. I highly recommend working this into your schedule if you ever visit Central Oregon.

Benham Falls

Our goal to hike this summer was hindered by the serious escalation of the arthritis in my hips. In a matter of months, I have gone from being able to hike 5-6 miles at a time with a moderate amount of pain to not being able to walk much more than a mile with a lot of pain and quite a bit of help from my husband.  I’m going to be having a bilateral hip replacement in October to relieve the pain and hopefully change my life for the better. But in the meantime, I’m not able to do very much in the way of hiking. Most of what I do now could be considered a moderate stroll.

Taking that into account, my son planned a short, fairly flat hike to Benham Falls one afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the outing as we walked along the Deschutes River and ended up at the falls. We sat and took in the sights and sounds for a while before turning around and heading back.

Crater Lake

We were also able to visit Crater Lake National Park as a day trip with our other son. He drove us there and we found a place to have a picnic lunch right on the rim of the lake. We walked along the rim for a little easy hike. In addition, we took the Castle Crest trail to look for wildflowers but because it’s really late in the season, we found just a few to enjoy. My slower pace really helps me see what is along the trail’s edge…trying to look at the positive.

Little Lava Lake fishing

We’ve had the kayaks out on the Little and Big Deschutes multiple times this summer, but we also made an effort to find a new place to paddle. My husband and I had an afternoon up at Little Lava Lake where we saw the headwaters of the Deschutes River, a new aquatic plant called water smartweed, and many of the local peaks: Mt. Bachelor, South Sister, and Broken Top.

 

 

Now for my 4th Quarter Goals-taking into account my surgery in the middle of October

  1. Finish up the year in my Nature Observer Guided Journal.
  2. Participate in Project Feederwatch.
  3. Walk as much as possible, allowing for healing from my hip surgery.
  4. Read at least two nature related books from my personal library.

 

Here is a short list of books I am contemplating reading during my recovery (either on hold at the library or on my personal bookshelf):

Please note this entry includes Amazon affiliate links to books I own and/or love!

 

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

If you would like to see the previous quarters for 2018: 1st Quarter Update and 2nd Quarter Update.

Be inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

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Outdoor Mom and Goal Update July 2018

Outdoor Mom – July 2018

 

And an Update of My Nature Study Goals 2018 for the Second Quarter

 

Columbia river

 

We’re finally doing a summertime dance as the temperatures climb and the skies are clear. It’s been a struggle for me personally because my husband and I made a commitment to each other to get the yard done during June and July. Making it a priority has meant we have to pass on some recreational opportunities.

 

kayaking little deschutes with boys

We still try to fit in our daily river walks and a few short kayak excursions when we can.

 

Fort Stevens Beach

Plus, we did take a week and go camping on the northern coast of Oregon. The beaches there are either rugged or sand dunes. The weather was pretty good and we found a couple of places to kayak, including Lake Coffinbury, where we saw bald eagles!

 

sea stars oregon

We took advantage of the negative tide and did some tide pooling. I spotted a purple sea star, the most colorful one I’ve ever seen. There were loads of anemones and barnacles.

 

coyote pup oregon

 

We’ve had an abundance of wildlife right in our backyard. My son saw this coyote pup strolling through the back fence and I was able to capture an image or too.

 

June 2018 swallow birds nest nesting box (7) babies

We have 5 birds nesting in our yard- 2 tree swallows, a chickadee, a Pygmy nuthatch, and a mountain bluebird! What a fantastic thing for this bird loving girl! My husband built the nesting boxes last year, a little too late in the season so we weren’t sure what to expect this year. Happy surprises!

 

cavity nest nuthatches

The nuthatch nest is in this crack in the pine tree, believe it or not. Amazing!

 

cattle oregon

The cattle are back in the pasture behind our house and we’ve so enjoyed seeing all the newborn calves. They sure are curious little things!

 

June bird list chalkboard

Here is my June list of birds seen from our back window. I love keeping track and now my friends come over and check the board every time they visit to see what new birds have been added.

 

Life is good here in my little part of the world.

 

Now here’s an update on my nature study goals as a way of keeping me accountable.

 

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

 

Nature Study Goals 2018 – 2nd Quarter Update

 

Nature Observer page June

 

1. Nature Observer journal – I’ve continued to journal my observations almost every day. I find if I don’t take a minute to note what happened during the day that I forget the little things; the things that when I look back mean the most.

Nature Observer monthly recap

There are very few prompts I haven’t filled in from the many nature-related page ideas. I adapt the ones that really don’t fit my style. I’m trying not to make excuses and just do my best to keep the journal full of thoughts and observations that show the picture of what it’s like living here in Central Oregon.

I’m still highly recommending this journal!

Nature Observer Guided Journal

 

Edit to add an affiliate link: Nature Observer.

 

wildflower list Nature Observer

 

2. Keep a record of the wildflowers that grow in my local habitat. I narrowed this goal to include my yard and the grassland between my house and the river. I keep my list in my Nature Observer journal.

 

3. Visit the High Desert Museum each month. I have failed at this! They have a new exhibit featuring rocks and the history of rock climbing that I really want to see, so I’ve now put it on the plan. Plus, I want to go see the raptors again.

 

4. Visit Sunriver Nature Center and see the garden. We ended up going to the Sunriver Observatory instead with some friends. It was awe inspiring as always, to look up at the stars and the planets Venus and Jupiter.

 

5. Take 3 new hikes. Twin Lake hike, Smith Rock – not new.

 

6. Get the kayaks out in a new local spot. My oldest son bought a canoe and my middle son bought a kayak so we’re all able to get on the water and explore the local area. So far, we’ve kept to our familiar stretches of river but we have plans next week to go exploring.

 

Additional Goal Related Items

Fort Clatsop

 

We purchased our National Parks pass and visited Lewis & Clark National Park, which is really a group of places centered around Astoria, Oregon. Visiting these places and then kayaking on the Lewis & Clark River were a highlight of our camping trip last month.

 

new butterfly garden oregon

Our backyard landscape is coming together. We’ve discovered that we can transplant many grasses and wildflowers and even an aspen tree to fill in our garden spaces. It’s a very big learning process and we need to keep reminding ourselves that it will take many years to accomplish what we want to in this space.
Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.

  • During our outdoor time this month we went…
  • The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
  • Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
  • In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
  • I added nature journal pages about…
  • I am reading…
  • I am dreaming about…
  • One last image…

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Nature Goals 2018 – 1st Quarter Update

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

Nature Study Goals 2018

1st Quarter Update

 

Here are my goals for the 1st Quarter of 2018:

1. Begin to use the Nature Observer journal every day to keep track of my nature experiences. Use the journal prompts included in the book to inspire my outdoor time. Don’t expect each page to be perfect but create a personalized record of my outdoor observations and adventures in 2018. I’ve been faithfully entering my experiences each day in the journal. At first, I thought this would be too much for me but it has proven to be a huge inspiration for me to get outside nearly every single day. I highly recommend this journal so put it on your wish list for next year!

2. Find two books to help me learn about the local habitat. I’m happy to say that I found one book that has been added to my library that has loads of helpful information about my local habitat.

Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains by Daniel Matthews

(This is my affiliate link and I will be writing a review of this book soon!)

Chimney Rock Hike

3. Take one new local hike with my family. We hiked the Chimney Rock trail at Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River. It was a super warm day and we enjoyed the new hike with its awesome views of the river and surrounding mountains. We’ll be back to this special area!

Otter at High Desert Museum

4. Visit the High Desert Museum and possibly buy a family pass. Look at the gift shop for books. We visited in January and purchased a membership! The highlight of our first visit was the river otter exhibit. What amazing animals! The docent was very knowledgeable about the otters and her enthusiasm made us eager to visit again. We have another visit scheduled this week to see the raptors.

5. Visit the nature center at Sunriver.  Ask about volunteering. We visited the observatory but not the nature center at Sunriver. We’ll be adding it to our 2nd quarter goals.

6. Continue to participate in Project Feederwatch. We’ve continued to participate for the whole first quarter, observing over twenty different birds during that time.

7. Participate in the Outdoor Hour Challenge by completing the reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, taking the walk, and doing a follow up journal page (or something else appropriate).  If needed, I will also look up the topic in my local field guide to see if there is additional information. This is an ongoing goal that I really need to focus on better. I do all the preparation work and take the walks every week. The follow up journal page is not always completed. I take note of my thoughts and observations in the Nature Observer journal.

 

I’m ready to make my new quarterly goals!

Nature Study Goals 2018

2nd Quarter – Get Outside and Experience Spring

  1. Continue to use the Nature Observer journal to keep a record of my nature study experiences. Focus more on sketching!
  2. Keep a record of the wildflowers that grow in my local habitat. Note the day they start to bloom and where we see them for future reference.
  3. Visit the High Desert Museum each month, each time focusing on a different exhibit.
  4. Visit the Sunriver Nature Center and ask about volunteering. In addition, make note of their garden and the native plants they have growing there as a reference in planning our backyard garden.
  5. Take 3 new hikes. This may be ambitious but the weather should be warming up and this will give us an added incentive to hit the trail.
  6. Get the kayaks out in a new place locally.

 

I’m truly looking forward to real spring here in Central Oregon. Creating nature study goals and working at achieving those goals helps me get outside and inspired to do more.

How did your nature study goals go this quarter?

 

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

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Outdoor Mom’s Nature Goals 2018

2018 Nature Study Goals @handbookofnaturestudy

I’ve learned a lot about goal making (and keeping) over the past few years.  My conclusion? Goals will motivate us if we keep them simple, clear, and reachable.  Goals are different than wishes. Goals need to have steps built into them to get you where you want to be by the deadline.

Nature Goal for 2018

I spent a lot of time this past year becoming familiar with my new habitat here in Central Oregon and my overall goal for 2018 is to continue to grow in knowledge about the local flora and fauna, with a particular emphasis on the birds, mammals, and plants that are in my own backyard.

This year I’m going to make my goals quarterly. I can pretty much see the next few months ahead and can create goals to keep me on track. At the end of the quarter I can decide if I’ve achieved a goal, if I need to continue working towards a goal, or if I need to revamp my expectations.

1st Quarter 2018 – Baby It’s Cold Outside

  1. Begin to use the Nature Observer journal every day to keep track of my nature experiences. Use the journal prompts included in the book to inspire my outdoor time. Don’t expect each page to be perfect but create a personalized record of my outdoor observations and adventures in 2018.
  2. Find two books to help me learn about the local habitat.
  3. Take one new local hike with my family.
  4. Visit the High Desert Museum and possibly buy a family pass. Look at the gift shop for books.
  5. Visit the nature center at Sunriver.  Ask about volunteering.
  6. Continue to participate in Project Feederwatch.
  7. Participate in the Outdoor Hour Challenge by completing the reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, taking the walk, and doing a follow up journal page (or something else appropriate).  If needed, I will also look up the topic in my local field guide to see if there is additional information.

 

Additional things on my nature to do list

  1. Decide if we’re going to purchase a National Parks pass and/or a State Parks pass.
  2. Plan a trip to the ocean.
  3. Make plans to visit John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
  4. Continue working on our new garden plan, emphasizing native plants and natural features.
  5. Participate in the online Nature Book Club by sharing one book per month here on the blog along with a corresponding activity. I’ll be sharing more on this in the near future.

 

I always love to read your goals so leave me a comment with your goals or a link to your blog if you post an entry there.

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

Nature Study Goals From Previous Years:

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Are you interested in creating your own nature goals? Here is a free printable for you to use as you brainstorm the goal and the steps to meeting that goal.

Nature Study Goals 2017 Planning PageNature Study Goals 2017 Planning Page

You may also want to plan out your nature book project for 2018. Here is a planning page you can print and use!

Nature Book Project Planner Page @handbookofnaturestudy

Nature Book Project Planning Page