Click to Enlarge   Nature Log by Beverly J. Letchworth illustrated by Patrick Kipp photography by Cliff White & Jim Rathert A nature log is a place to write down your observations about nature. Have you ever thought about keeping a nature log? No, not like the log of a tree. A log is another name for a journal, the kind in which you record what you observe. A nature log is a place to write down your observations about nature. There's no right or wrong way to keep a journal. You can write in it every day or just once a week. You can keep it at home and write in it at the end of each day, or you can carry it with you on walks or hikes in parks or woods. Maybe you could record your observations on a small tape recorder and later write them down in your notebook at home. You may want to add a lot of details, or you may want to keep it simple. You can write with crayons or markers or pen. Your notebook can be a simple spiral notebook. Entry Introductions Each time you make a log entry, make a habit of first jotting down the date, the time of day, weather conditions and temperature. Then you're ready to write about your nature sighting. You'll find that you notice things more when you keep a journal. What is that bird in the tree? What is that sound in the bushes? What is that odd smell? You're more awake and alert because you're writing about what you see and hear in your journal. You should actually consider yourself an explorer as you discover new things and record them in your personal log. Read this journal entry written by a 15-year-old Missouri girl. June 14 - 82°- sunny I saw a woodchuck today. It scared me. I was walking along the road when all of a sudden there was a loud whistle that made me jump. I turned around and saw a woodchuck watching me in the field by the road. It looked scared to see me too. It whistled again and ran off into the weeds. I didn't know woodchucks whistled. I think it was a warning that there was danger - ME! A woodchuck sighting! What an exciting entry to record in her journal! Not every wildlife sighting will be so remarkable. That's why it's best to keep your eyes and ears open anytime you're outside, to catch the little things that are happening. Your nose is an excellent tool for noticing nature. Do you smell anything unusual? Does it smell like garlic or mold or perfume? What is causing the odor? These details will add a lot of "spice" to your nature journal. The girl mentioned that the woodchuck's loud whistle scared her. You can also add how you feel about the nature you see and hear. When you hear an owl hooting at night, do you feel excited or a little anxious? What about watching squirrels chasing each other in the trees? Did they make you laugh? Was one bigger or more aggressive than the other? How many different trees did they chase each other through? Did one miss a jump and fall a few feet before catching itself on another branch? Use the "3-Rule" If you're just beginning to observe nature for journal keeping, you may not know what to write down at first. If you're not sure, use the "3-rule." Just notice three things about something you see. You see a bird, for example. You may then write: dark gray, white belly, small. Or a flower: yellow, brown center, many long petals. This "3-rule" approach will help get you started. Before long, you'll be writing more about the nature you see. You'll record more than just seeing a blue jay; you'll describe what it was doing at the time. You'll note more than just seeing a squirrel; you'll write down how it was acting. You'll begin to notice more and more animal behavior.In 1900, when she was only 7-years old, Opal Whiteley wrote a diary. Much of it was about nature and wildlife behavior because she spent many hours exploring the countryside. Years later, her diary was made into a book called "The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow." Here is one of Opal's journal entries: I made a stop by a hazel bush. I did stop to watch a caterpillar making his cradle. He did not move about while he did make it - he did roll himself up in a leaf. That almost hid him. He did weave white silk about him. I think it must be an interesting life, to live a caterpillar life. Opal wrote with crayons on scraps of paper and kept her diary in a hollow log in the forest near her home. Another of Opal's journal entries reads: I tied bits of bread on the tips of the branches of the trees. Too, I tied on popcorn kernels. They looked like snow-flowers blooming there on fir trees. I looked at them. I know the birds will be glad for them. Often I do bring them here for them. When I have hungry feels, I feel the hungry feels the birds must be having. So I have come to tie things on the trees for them. Some have likes for different things - little gray one of the black cap has likes for suet . . . . The little bird Opal was referring to was probably the black-capped chickadee. Maybe she didn't know the real name of the bird, but you don't have to know what something is to enjoy it. If you want to identify the birds or flowers you see, field guides can be useful. You'll find many kinds at book stores and libraries. Decorate your Journal You may also want to draw what you see in your journal. Sit down beside a flower so you're close enough to see it well and sketch it. Lie on your belly, if necessary, to draw a bug. Collect nature articles, pictures from magazines and calendars and put them in your journal. Soon your book will be bulging with all kinds of swell stuff, as well as your own personal writings about the natural world. Another nice thing about a journal is it doesn't have to end. You don't have to worry about finishing it or completing the assignment like you do at school. A journal can go on for years and years if you choose. Some people keep journals all their lives because they're so much fun. Remember the 15-year-old Missouri girl? She had fun watching and writing about a squirrel in this log entry: Sept 21--cloudy and windy I watched a squirrel in the yard this morning. He found a little piece of paper. He rolled the paper into a ball, then he dug a hole with his paws. He stuffed the paper ball into the hole and covered it back up with dirt - like he was burying a nut for winter. Then he put some leaves over it too, to hide it even further. Then he found another piece of paper and did the same thing with it. He was like a cleaning man, cleaning up litter. I wonder why he buried the paper? Did he think it was food? Try keeping your own nature log. What swell things will you be writing in it?