Great Backyard Bird Count – journal page by Susan …………… IL
Note from Linda: What about keeping a journal? A diary? A notebook? Is this something you want to do? Explore your connections to nature? Record your feelings, your emotions? Susan from central Illinois is sharing her latest journal page with all of us and giving us something to think about.
There are several things I like about Susan’s journal page. First is that she did this right after birding – she and the Second Saturday Regulars (SSR) turned their count in for the day to the Great American Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (For more information, here is a link: The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.)
Susan is like so many of us – she is not an artist. After some trial and error, she found she likes colored pencils and that is what she uses in her journal. Any one of us could have a journal like Susan’s. Just to draw what we see and write down our thoughts. When I look at her journal page, I can feel the energy she experienced during the count. Notice she has trees and lots of birds in all sorts of positions. I also like that although doing something like this takes time, notice this page is truly a sketch. This is not a finished piece of work ready to be framed and sold. We can tell right away that she was relaxed, and she had fun with it. That is what we should all aim for if we start to have a journal about our experiences in nature. And from my point of view, this page is an ‘essay’. Her thoughts, feelings, emotions, reactions – all recorded on this page with her pencils. Not words, but drawings.
Consider writing down the thoughts that come to mind. Ideas. Revelations. It does not matter if they are just lists of words, phrases, paragraphs. Whatever feels right to you – it is, after all, your journal. Consider using your journal to try some sketching – with pencil or with color. Just let your mood guide you. I thank Susan so much for sharing this with all of us, but you can keep your journal just for you. My third-grade teacher told me repeatedly that I was hopeless and never would be able to draw or color, and it has taken me all these years to get past that and not be tight and extremely embarrassed every time I think about drawing. But if you try this, always remember – it is your journal, you are in control. Let it be whatever it develops into being. Never be embarrassed. Smile – even laugh – and keep writing or drawing! Rome was not built in a day. Susan did not start out drawing birds like this and if she sends me a journal page next year, you will most certainly see how she draws will have changed. Everything changes. If we give ourselves time and patience, we will only improve.
Susan leads the Second Saturday Regulars which is part of the Master Naturalists of Illinois (Illinois Master Naturalist Program | Illinois Extension | UIUC) and also Decatur Audubon (Home | Decatur Audubon). I have known and worked with Susan for some years – we are both gardeners interested in native plants. We are good friends. When she first came up with the idea for SSR, she was a beginning birder herself and wanted to know more. Now she is a very good birder. There can be anywhere from about 8-20 people every time they meet. Some have never birded before and there are at least 2 who regularly attend who are excellent birders. This is truly a group for anyone who is interested in birds – very friendly and welcoming. You do not have to be a Master Naturalist or a member of Decatur Audubon – everyone is welcome. For more information, contact me and I will put you in touch with Susan.
P.S. Here is a link to one of my blog entries from September 2025. More of Susan’s journaling and my own. She and I both urge you to try this. Writing and/or drawing about what you have experienced outdoors only heightens your experience and ensures you will have lasting memories of your reactions and impressions. Bird Lists, Birding Notebook, Nature Journal…
I will end this with Susan’s phrase she always uses to end her emails. Bird on!