Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Spring is a perfect time to start a nature journal. I've been talking about it with some friends so I wanted to share some resources here. It doesn't have to be fancy. It can have text, art, photos, pressed leaves, whatever you want to include. There are different approaches; all of them are good. Grab a blank book with plain or lined pages as you prefer, something to write or draw with, and head out to your yard, garden, or a nearby park.


Books and Notebooks

The Best EDC Pocket Notebooks: We Test 9 of the Best Notepads for Your Pocket

My Favorite Sketchbooks as of 2023

Top Nature Journals to Inspire Your Outdoor Reflections


Other Tools and Supplies

7 Best Glues For Paper Crafts & When To Use Them

The Best EDC Pen

Best Nature Journaling Supplies for People with Too Many Hobbies

Bringing Your Charcoal Outside: Drawing Landscapes En Plein Air

Coloured pencils: perfect for quick sketches on location

A Complete Beginner's Guide to the Best Colored Pencils

Let's "Junk" Your Nature Journal
Class description, but features a great list of supplies.

Movable Pallet Altoid Tin Watercolor Set
A good plein air kit should fit in your pocket. You don't want to lug 20 pounds of art crap through the woods.

Plein air sketching palettes and tools

Pocket Sized Sketch Kit

Sketching Equipment for the Field

Supplies for Nature Notebooking

Top 5 Affordable Watercolor Plein Air Setups

The Ultimate Guide To Outdoor Sticker Durability: Materials, Inks, And Processes Explained
If you want to use stickers in your nature journal, make sure they can stand up to the great outdoors.

Waterproof fountain pen ink: An essential guide


How To

100 Nature Journal Prompts for Kids to Inspire Creativity

Animal Tracks Identification Guide: Animal Footprint ID Charts
This gives a pretty good idea how to draw tracks in your nature journal.

Bark and Leaf Rubbings

Bird Watching Journal

Create a Leaf and Bark Journal

Flower Pressing and Nature Journaling

How to Make and Keep a Nature Journal or Notebook

Keeping a Naturalist's Field Journal

My Bird Journal (for Wisconsin, but useful in the Midwest generally)

My Birding Journal (for kids or novices)

The Naturalist’s Journal

Nature Journal Ideas With Examples from a Staff Member’s Actual Journal

Nature Journaling Binder

Nature journaling and observations weekly prompts

Nature Journaling for All Ages: A Guidebook for Group Leaders

On taking field notes

Opening the world through nature journaling: Integrating art, science & Language arts

Smithsonian Introduction to the nature journal

Taking Field Notes Like a Scientist

WILDLIFE JOURNAL: Wild Ohio for Kids


Art Tips

How to Draw Birds

Mastering Landscape Drawing: A Complete Guide to Elevating Your Skills

Paint Outdoors: Embracing Plein Air Painting in Watercolour

Sketching plein air with coloured pencils

Step by Step Animal Drawing Tutorials


Writing Tips

5 Tips For Writing About Nature

Creative Nonfiction: Nature Writing

Nature-Inspired Writing

Nature Writing Prompts

You Can Write a Nature Poem


Discussion

Have you kept a nature journal? What kind? What do you put in it -- art, writing, collage, other things?