On June first, I was toying with the idea of giving myself a nature journaling challenge for the month, like I did last July. Three different families of Canada geese have been feeding in our yard and while I’ve been watching them closely, I hadn’t gotten out my journal to record my observations. When I did, I discovered that the most recent entry was from late March.
Continue reading Nature Journaling: 5 Minutes Counts
My two month hiatus from the blog flew past. I’m not quite ready to be back. It’s been forever since … More Change Takes Time
When I was an undergraduate (over thirty years ago), I spent a year working with Alex, the African gray parrot who was part of Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s research project on animal cognition. My experience with Alex included some unforgettable lessons. One of the greatest I learned from Beatrix Gardner, one of the researchers who taught the chimpanzee Washoe sign language.
Continue reading A Dandelion for Alex
While I’ve kept journals of all sorts most of my life, it took me a long time to realize the value of them isn’t just in writing them. I started journaling to record my experiences, but I’ve found them even more valuable since I’ve developed the habit of re-reading them.
Continue reading Why You Should Re-read Your Journals
I have been attracted to the idea of nature journaling all of my life. I see myself sitting in the wilderness, journal on my knee, binoculars in hand, sketching birds and painting little landscapes for hours on end.
I look at where I am now and think “I am not a nature journaler” because my nature journaling rarely looks like that. Frequently, I journal indoors, looking out a window. When I sit outside, it’s usually in my backyard. My journal pages are black-and-white, often messy, especially if I’m fortunate enough to be recording bird or animal behaviors. Many of my sessions are only a few minutes long.
Continue reading How to Become A Nature Journaler