Our Birding Journal

In the early mornings we sit outside on our deck, drinking coffee, and looking through our binoculars. It’s a special time of day, before we go to work, chained to our computers. We keep a journal and record the birds we see or hear, any other nature sightings, and our thoughts and feelings about this special place. We’ve been keeping the journal on almost a daily basis, since we arrived at our property, Bobolink Farm, 5 years ago.

For us, the journal is so many things:

- A record of the bird species seen here, their numbers and times of occurrence. This becomes important documentation of bird population trends, the value of the habitat here, etc.
- A motivator to keep our birding skills keen, so we are able to identify by sound, every bird we hear, and by sight, every bird we see, no matter how tiny a spec on the horizon.
- A record of our experiences that we can look back on and savor.
- Just the act of keeping it creates a special, shared moment each day, when we have a heightened sensitivity to this place we treasure. The journal connects us to, and helps us develop, our sense of place.

All photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006