I just love birds and I was really looking for a way to reignite my love of being outdoors and my relationship with nature.  I wanted to pull myself away from devices more and pursue the magic of the natural world.  I very much enjoy whimsical art that uses animals and nature as the focus.  So I am hoping to use this course as a stepping stone towards creating art that integrates nature, birds, whimsy, and magic.

I have always been surrounded by naturalists.  My dad ran a lecture series at the Smithsonian and my mom was an illustrationist. My dad was involved with rehabilitating and banding hawks and owls for Fish and Wildlife. Great Horned Owls both injured, one by barbed wire and one by a car, lived outside my window for many years until they could be placed at a nature center. (Monongahela, the male GHO will live forever in the Roger Tory Peterson bird guides) Redtail hawks, screech owls, and barn owls were in breezeways, closets, and large enclosures on our property preparing for release.  I learned to cut up mice and carrion for the youngsters that were brought to us until they too could be returned to the wild through falconry, etc.   Now that I am retired from teaching I want to venture back to that world.  Ebird and Merlin have reaffirmed my knowledge of birds as I move around our 200 acres.  I wanted a method to document and share my observations other than my bird lists.  Journaling has filled that gap. Writing down and drawing my observations has taken me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to look for details.  Hearing and seeing swamp sparrows, song sparrows, white-throated sparrows, and then a fox sparrow (the first time on my list) and then drawing each of them was a challenge. But in so doing I learned their intricacies. I also want to add plants to my repertoire.  I enjoyed all the journals and hope to replicate and tweak what they have done. Each day I will travel with my dogs to the woods, listen, observe, write down, and sketch what I see.  I will fine-tune it when I get home. My nature journal will travel with me to my grandkids' houses and I will get them journaling. They are all still in elementary or younger institutions but on our walks can identify most of the birds we hear, with me and Merlin filling in the blanks.

1. I used to draw and paint often as a teenager in my early 20s until life became too busy. Also, I lived in a place where it wasn’t safe to be on your own outdoors. Now in my early 60s, when the pressures have eased, I’ve been longing to get back to my art. I didn’t know there was such a thing as nature journaling until I saw the course advertised. I’ve never wanted to write a diary but do worry that I forget so many of the things that I experience. I’ve just changed career from another field into bird conservation, and now have opportunities to be in nature much more than before. So, everything has come together to make nature journaling something I would like to try. 2. Strangely enough, I like the idea of starting each page with notes on the place, date, time and weather. I would never have thought of doing this! I like it because it shifts the focus to scientific observation, rather than having to make a work of art, which takes some of the pressure off. I’m not keen to do too much other writing - maybe only some unique features or personal responses - so am aiming to fill my pages with different views of the same subject, like the person who drew the Mourning Doves. I am also going to try his technique of first blocking the main shapes of the head and body, as I really struggle with getting the proportions of a bird correct. 3. Drawing from photos is obviously an alternative but I think the special thing about nature journaling as described here is that it is done ‘live’ which creates a completely different dynamic and emotional response, along with particular challenges.

It is so easy to take a picture of what you see, but then it gets left behind in the nether sphere. I like that a journal tells a story.  It helps you stop and better observe what you see.  I feel that once journaling becomes habit, it will provide insight over time of all the things that I observe.  Also, the more I do it, the better I will get at capturing what I see on its pages.

I want to be drawn deeper into the natural world through quiet observation, and I'd like to be able to keep a record of what I have seen and experienced besides through words or photographs. I thought each of the journals had something really interesting to convey -- the layout of the boxes and then moving outside them, to let the journal show mistakes, noticing geometric shapes, how watercolors give you color quickly, using the journal as a discipline to do one sketch a day, and then moving to a month. I'd like to try them all.

I just returned from a trip to Costa Rica.  I brought my sketch book and WC paints and found much inspiration to draw/paint....however, I am most comfortable looking at a photo vs. drawing or painting en plein air.  I am hoping that this course will help to give me tools/techniques and confidence to try to sketch/paint what I see vs. a photograph of it.

I think I will start out small with only writing and work into adding some sketches and then plan to develop those sketches into artwork!

I have always been happy in nature and the outdoors which has been a means of rejuvenating myself.  I have enjoyed drawing and painting at different time periods over the years but not for the last few years. I blame it on busyness but also feel intimidated about getting back into watercolour painting.  Seeing this course that can be taken on-line at your own pace and combining nature and art seems like the ideal way for me to get back to doing what I feel is part of who I am but have neglected.  I think I like the idea of drawing or painting what inspires me in nature in the moment and then journal about that. My journal style will likely be very casual capturing beauty in nature and learning more about what I see.

I've always liked the idea of keeping a record of my observations of nature. Recently I came across a small box of index cards on which, some years ago, I had recorded observations on tree swallows nesting in our backyard, an interesting spider on the garage wall, etc. I want to revive my long-lost sketching and waterpainting skills, and I'm hoping this course will get me going again. I'm looking forward to having a journal with drawings and paintings to illustrate my notes.  I particularly like the use of boxes to enclose sections of notes and drawings, of drawings that don't fill the whole page, enclosed in a box together with some notes.  I like the idea of showing an enlarged, more detailed study of part of the drawing.

I'm inspired to start a nature journal since I'm going to Cape May, NJ in May.  

I like the idea of recording trips with a nature journal since I travel in my van a lot.  I also like the idea of mixing drawings with writings. And using boxes to define certain parts of the page.  I have been nature journaling now for about 3 years and can see the difference in my approach and also in my ability to observe, which has also made me more observant in other parts of my life.

I’m inspired to begin nature journaling as a way to record and remember my observations.  I want to date each page and describe what’s happening with sketches and notes.

1. I want writing and drawing to be a stronger habit in my life in general. Occasionally I'll draw a picture when I feel up to it, but I want it to be a consistent thing I do. I'm specifically doing nature journaling because I want to develop a stronger and more personal connection with nature. I feel like if I do this, I will also understand myself better. 2. I like the approach where you draw the main thing that caught your attention, then add writing around it to solidify what you got from that experience and what you may have learned. 3. I think I might to quicker and simpler sketches with pen, then go back later and do more detailed and color drawings on the following page of the journal.

For about the last year. I have been taking some watercolor, painting classes, and the teacher likes to do journaling. Feel I have improved greatly, and really enjoy the process. I focus on the painting and my mind is only on that. I feel this is something I will continue to do for the rest of my life  the original is from an email from Cornell and the Painting came out pretty good  it’s not like I am going to be a professional artist but the joy it brings me is priceless

1. I have been wanting to start a nature journal for the last few years, often making it one of my new years resolutions! My sister gave me this course for christmas and I'm excited for a structured way to learn more and begin a practice. 2. I like the ones that describe drawing first and then coming back and filling in the story, and more details. I also want to try watercolors, which is not something I've really used much at all.

1. "What inspired you to begin nature journaling?" Thumbing through books about nature journaling, viewing others' nature journals and an overwhelming feeling to "create" have all inpsired me to begin my own nature journaling. 2. "Now that you've heard from several other journalers about their processes, and had a peek at their journals, which ideas or approaches do you want to try?" I have purchased the materials used by and recommended by Liz, and I would like to try the approach of talking a walk in the woods and simply drawing what inspires me. I'll try to start small, easy, and not be too hard on myself if I feel that I am not "accomplishing" what I think I should be accompishing. A leaf, a tree, an outline of a bird, colors of the sky - I might start with something like these. 3. "Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you'd like to share?" I'd also consider taking a photo of something that inspires me, and sketching that.

I'm recently retired, and in the process of purging old boxes came across both journals and sketch pads containing my thoughts and talent from 30-45 years ago.  So happy to revisit them, got me thinking, what if I'd continued to develop that talent for the past 30+ years.  Ahhh..... life takes us different places than we expect.  Very inspired to get back at it, have a few laughs at the first attempts with a pencil, then see where this takes me moving forward :).  I live in nature, so no lack of opportunity - very excited to see what's in my heart, head, and hands!

1. I used to draw the things that I loved when a child, mostly dogs, cats and horses. As an adult, I gardened, hiked, camped, backpacked, and occasionally sketched the things I saw. In my profession, I studied, wrote, and edited reports about the natural world. Now in retirement, I want to slow down, immerse myself, savor the experiences. I find that I have an urge to sketch a particularly lovely tree, a patch of mushrooms, the red tailed hawk that regularly visits the tree behind my house, to learn more about the things that I see and love. Take up birding, for example, and nature journaling. 2. I think I will let my style of nature journaling evolve organically, and not be too organized to start.

Gardening and hiking has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I didn't know it was 'a thing' until I saw this course advertised, but I always thought how nice it would be to record a moment, a sighting, maybe even a feeling, in nature. I take many photographs but I don't often go back and look through them. I'm hoping nature journaling will help me to stop, slow down, and notice more deeply the beauty of nature and when I'm done, I'll have original art and notes to help me remember it.

I decided to try out my field journal on a recent trip to Mexico.  Many of my sketches were not exactly natural history - more about people and places - but some were.  I just rewatched this introduction to the course and I realize that anything goes.  Clearly, I am still finding my style, but I would say that this course kind of gave me permission to sketch anything and just give it all a try.  Also, I have some very unfinished sketches, which normally I wouldn't like but, here, it's all part of the process.  Here are a couple of examples:

I purchased this course to aid in my nature interpretation on various outings. I'm excited to put to paper what I observe!

Nature is my spiritual sanctuary.  As a child, I had some artistic talent.  I have a science background.  In retirement after 3 careers, I would like to return to art.  I love watercolor and need more practice with journaling.  I will definitely document time, place and conditions so this will be a kind of research.  My illustrations will take major portions of pages.

I have always been a fan of journaling and scrapbooking. My husband gave me this course as a gift and I am eager to attempt adding sketches to my journals rather than photographs. I sketch on occasion but look forward to improving or more developing those skills through this course. I really liked the various layouts in the examples. I think I will try to incorporate several different techniques going forward. I definitely like the idea of including the date, time, place and weather.

Always loved the outdoors, got into birding and lucky enough to have traveled from ecuador to alaska. My mom was a very good artist, and I doubting my ability there went into photography. Limited there cause I never got the large lens telephoto, but was still fun and challenging. Each pic is a story, a tale trying to be told, Have some experience at interpretation and I think this might be another tool to help encourage others to gain a better love and understanding of this world.

I've recently started doing water colours and wanted to combine that with my love of the outdoors and birding. I'm excited to try and combine the journaling with learning about species differences. The boxes are a good way to turn a whole page into manageable bits when trying to fill it. Blank pages can seem so intimidating! I'd love to get better at identifying warblers so why not journal a different warbler each time you journal!