The Backyard Bird Chronicles

A century before naturalist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species (1859), Gilbert White—a curate and hobby ecologist—carefully detailed his observations in his diary. In The Natural History of Selborne (1789), White recorded observations from his walks and noted anything that struck him as a pattern or a break in it. After watching two white owls for several seasons, he became attuned to their rhythms and knew when they were taking care of young and the intentions behind their hisses and squawks. His writing had a meaningful impact on a young Darwin. White is considered one of the first nature diarists, focusing his attention on living specimens rather than the traditional dead animal models. He spent 40 years chronicling his observations and developing a strong sense that animals have rich inner lives. His writing blended personal memoir with scientific recording, a hallmark of nature journaling.

Darwin’s nature journals were an important part of his scientific work. In his notes, he recorded observations and made sketches that he could look at later as points of data. Similarly, Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden (1854), began documenting his nature observations just after graduating from Harvard and continued the practice for over 20 years. The Journal of Henry David Thoreau, 1837-1861 collects these observations from his daily walks. Many of his essays, such as “Wild Apples,” were also shaped by his recordings.

Like Thoreau, Tan discovered that nature journaling could impact her creative work. Although Tan was a lifelong lover of nature, she’d never paid attention to birds or drawn until she enrolled in an art class with John Muir Laws, the author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling and The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds. Laws is an advocate for nature journaling, connecting artists across the world through his website. Tan learned from Laws how to participate in a tradition of growth and learning—a rich creative history in which White, Darwin, and Thoreau played only a small part.

Nature journaling is a centuries-old practice that has strengthened understanding of the natural world and ourselves. Artists, philosophers, and scientists have utilized the practice to grow their work and skills. Beatrix Potter, the children’s book author best known for The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901), kept extensive journals from which she drew inspiration. More contemporary writers like Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, and Aldo Leopold also utilized nature journaling.

Nature journaling relies on attention to detail and the ability to embody the experience of others. It requires noticing details, patterns, behaviors, cycles, and textures. The practice helps artists and writers to develop an eye for subtle changes. It also inspires inquiry and curiosity, developing in practitioners a deeper and more ecological understanding of how different elements come together. Tan demonstrates these aspects of nature journaling as she develops her skills as an artist and observer of the natural world.