MY NATURALIST
Notebook

OBSERVING WINTER WILDLIFE

Action Project # 1

Make Your Own Naturalist Notebook & Kit

Sample Enty

Coyote tracks front (top) and hind (bottom).
2 ¼ in.
Doser Park
11/25/01
9:30 A.M.
overcast skies
Saw rabbit fur nearby!

Have you ever kept a diary? Isn't it fun to look back at your diary and remember what was happening at the time? Keeping a "diary" of what you find in nature is fantastic fun and you even have a souvenir to take with you without disturbing wildlife - what a considerate kid you are! Wildlife biologists, like our feature professional, Steve Kittelson, keep records of what they observe. These records help wildlife biologists learn about wildlife and how to manage our public lands to best meet the needs of both wildlife and people. You can do the same thing with your own naturalist notebook.

Remember to record the date, place, including the type of habitat (forest, park, backyard, wetland, lake, etc.), and the weather in your journal.
A picture can tell a lot about what you observe so, DRAW!
Write notes next to your sketches. Don't worry about making your sketch something to hang on a wall - journals are for putting information down on paper. Besides, animals move fast. Capturing nature in motion can be some of your best sketches. Go ahead and loosen-up with the pencil and catch a "bird on the wing".
Record your thoughts, questions, what you learn about what you see. Your Naturalist Notebook is about making connections between you and that wonderful, awesome, creation called the natural world.

To get started you can copy off My Nature Journal pages.

Hey Kids, don't forget your Naturalist Kit too!

Taking a kit of tools along to help you observe nature when you are outside is easy. Just put the kit items in your backpack or fanny pack and keep a close eye on nature's flips, zig-zags, whistles and whoppers. It's all out there just waiting for you!