I enjoyed drawing from the photo and found it easy. I noticed the details of the warbler more by drawing it than I would just looking at it. I think this makes a difference in nature journaling.
I started keeping a watercolor sketchbook in 2002 and have dabbled off and on with various journals. I liked seeing the various journals. I like the watercolor sketches and notes in each of them. I loved the idea of a drawing a day or filling a monthly page. I don't journal every day, but I like to record the date, time, weather and location and usually I draw birds. Here is a page from February of this year about some winter ducks.