 With the sunshine at its peak, it's a great time to get outside to nature journal whether it is under a shady tree, beside a cool creek or on a sandy shore. With a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water, the opportunities to draw or write about what you are observing are all around.
This summer I've observed a flotilla of blue bottle jellyfish (also known as wind sailors) washing up along our local beaches. These creatures are beautiful to observe but can inflict a nasty sting. So far I've escaped! A nature journal activity could map out sightings and record weather, wind and water temperature. These observations could provide clues to future jellyfish inundations. Or you could draw the species from a photograph with identifying features written in. I've also been observing the dynamics of our local wildlife with peak fruit tree season offering a bounty for them to feed upon. Our beautiful rainbow lorikeets have been conducting parties in our apricot tree during the day and at night ringtail possums and grey-headed fruit bats have been feasting. I've been considering drawing up a timelapse diagram showing how species share a space. Who is dominant and what interactions are there? There's so much going on! How do you represent your summer observations in your nature journal?
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Everything awakens during Spring. Seeds germinate, plants grow new leaves and flowers, insects emerge from cocoons, birdsong fills the air and our shorebirds complete their huge migration back to our intertidal zones. It’s a wonderful time of emergence and new life. On your next wander, consider pausing for a moment to take in the changes and the activity happening around you. If it is safe to do so, perhaps close your eyes and listen closely to the sounds.
You may wish to wonder about why the sound is being made. Is it communication, is it territorial or is it a warning? Think about how you can convert the sound onto your nature journalling page. Consider ways to describe sound. Experiment with writing a poem about what you’ve heard. It doesn’t have to rhyme! It may even be a cartoon of how the sound might look on paper. Have fun with it! Of course, always be mindful of safety (perhaps take a trusted friend if you don’t enjoy being alone) and be prepared for the cold weather.  One of the lovely pleasures of winter is wandering through along the coastline all rugged up and experiencing the icy breeze on our faces, blowing the cobwebs away and making us feel alive! It’s a time of year when everything is quieter and appears to slow down - or does it? On your next winter outdoor wander, pay attention to what the wildlife is doing and create a nature journal page about your observations. Some questions to prompt you:
Of course, always be mindful of safety (perhaps take a trusted friend if you don’t enjoy being alone) and be prepared for the cold weather.  A Singing Honeyeater on introduced Boxthorn in the brisk sea breezes of Cape Schanck
 It's International Nature Journalling Week, and it's so inspiring to know that nature is noticed and cared for by so many other people around the world. Joining in the online sessions is a great way to learn new techniques for nature journalling and be inspired by others. The sessions are free, recorded and can be found in this link.
One of the first sessions by Melinda Nakagawa introduced the concept of how to describe the indescribable. Those moments in nature that catch your breath, that take awe and wonder to new levels.
Both auroras and rakalis are hard to photograph (see the images) but seeing an aurora and a rakali on the same evening brought a profound sense of joy. There's something magic about a magnetic storm hitting the earth while an amphibious creature sitting on its favourite rock platform eating a dinner of shellfish. While the aurora was only visible if you had a camera, nature was out there doing its thing. It's up to us to pay attention!
 What is Nature Journaling?
Nature journaling is the practice of observing and recording the natural world through writing, drawing, and other creative expressions. It encourages mindfulness and deepens one’s connection to nature by capturing details about plants, animals, landscapes, and seasonal changes. This process often combines scientific observation with personal reflections, fostering a greater appreciation for the environment and enhancing observational skills. Why use Nature Journaling with your Revegetation Projects The practice of observing and recording your revegetation project provides a basis for collecting data about your project and the impact of your revegetation. It allows members of your group to create a meaningful connection and contribution which allows their own personal observations and inspirations to be captured. A deeper understanding of the species and the challenges they face engages and inspires your group to restore, nurture and protect the revegetation area and the broader environment. Technique 1: Maps over time To get to know the revegetation area better, a map can be sketched freehand or from online mapping sources.
Technique 2: Before and After If you are comfortable with quick sketching in the field, a nature journal page might capture the area about to be tackled for weed removal. Although a photo could be used to do this, a nature journal page allows for species identification and notes about how the revegetation project will be tackled. Your page might have the following:
Technique 3: Species Focus There may be a particular species that you’d like all your group to learn about. It might be a specific weed species that you are targeting. You can either write a nature journal in the field or at home with field guides. You can use the prompts:
Every place in nature has its own rhythm and cycles that it flows through as the earth spins on its orbit around the sun. Whether it be a woodland, coastline, waterway or grassland, each interdependent species reacts to the changing light and day/night lengths as they have done and adapted to over thousands of years. Nature is in constant change but there are patterns to the seasons that you can observe and acknowledge with gratitude and awareness. Shown below are two ways of viewing the seasons. One is the traditional European system with Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter which have been applied to Australian conditions without observations and understandings of the different seasons. The second is a First Nations Approach which is a more harmonious relationship to the land. The image below is based on Melbourne's seasons from Alan Reids calendar. Source: Banksias and Bilbies, 1995.  Activity: Tuning into the seasons
You can tune into the seasons of your area by observing what's happening in nature around you. Daily You can observe the daily pattern of day and night, high and low tide and the activities of the species you are focussed on. Monthly You can notice the monthly patterns of the lunar cycle and observe if the moon influences patterns and behaviours. Notice the weather changes over a month with how many low and high pressure systems influence your area. How do these cycles affect your area and species within it? Yearly You can create your own seasonal nature calendar over a full year for your area and then compare the next year. What is changing and what is staying the same? Is there more of a species one year then less the next? What time do some plants flower? When do some birds migrate? Are there connections between the changes you are observing? The key thing is to notice what's happening and changing in nature and know that you are part of it all. You've probably noticed that we all react with Nature in different ways. How do you react when you first step outside from your house or from the vehicle you are travelling? How long does it take you to tune into where you are? Being aware of how you react with our surroundings can be the first step to engaging with where you are. This is a simple exercise to keep in mind wherever you go! Invitation: Give yourself permission to step away from your busy life and spend just a few moments looking at the eucalypt woodland image below. Imagine yourself in that environment and answer the following prompts.
You can report back here in the comments if you'd like to share your observations!  |
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