Spark your Bird Love with Nature Journaling

Are you curious to learn what birds visit your seed feeder?

Or what bird is singing that song?

Or want to remember the details of that bird or it’s name?

Feed your love of birds, increase your bird knowledge and boost your bird skills in a friendly and welcoming environment.

Get to know the birds around you with a simple tool:

The nature journal.

You’ll learn and practice how to see more in nature, develop sharper awareness, improve your memory, spark curiosity, and improve quick sketching skills.

This is not solely about painting or drawing birds, but more about HOW to see and enjoy birds, record observations, and use strategies to supercharge capacity to learn more.

I will teach you how I have learned bird songs by visually recording them, how to listen to their sounds and begin to understand them.

You’ll practice activities that awaken your senses, hone your bird awareness, develop naturalist and sketching skills, and tap into curiosity to enhance your learning.

The nature journal will be a tool to increase your capacity to discern differences for identification, record behaviors, track seasonal changes of your birds.

You’ll begin to cultivate an intuitive knowing of birds, and nurture a personal connection with these feathers friends.

Whether you’ve just sparked your interest in birds, or you are a long-time bird lover, everyone will benefit from these fun and effective strategies.

No experience needed. Bring your curiosity and willingness to learn!

Your guide:

I’m Melinda and I’ve been watching birds for the past 30 years. It all started with a spark of curiosity, an eagerness to learn, and a pair of binoculars.

Since then, I’ve studied birds in the field, lived on a seabird breeding colony, rehabilitated songbirds, and taught birding classes.

How I approach bird watching

Over the years I’ve heard people tell me they often felt intimidated when out with expert birders. They just wanted to learn birds without the pressure of rapidly identifying and moving on. Their goal was not the same as the typical “birder”–they wanted to enjoy the birds while learning what they were seeing.

I also encountered some experts who really enjoyed the challenge of identifying a rare bird, and the excitement of tallying the birds they in a life list.

Even though I had been watching birds for years, it was not competitive for me, and I too felt the intimidation.

That’s when I knew that I wanted to teach in an inclusive and friendly manner. To focus on the joy of birds, and guide people on how to see birds and nature (not just look), and to learn how to learn about them in a low-pressure, supportive setting.

Why a nature journal?

20 years ago I began keeping a bird journal, which I called a “nature journal”. I kept my notes on wildlife observations, recording the date, location, and some sketches.

Over time my nature journal became so much more. It helped me become a better observer of birds by increasing my memory of identification cues, expanding my knowledge of species and ecology, and discovering subtle characteristics of bird life that I would have missed otherwise.

Anyone can learn if you adopt a growth mindset. Your ability to identify birds sharpens over time with practice. Especially with a nature journal, you will truly enjoy birds while you expand your capacity to learn! And you can do this!