Handbook of Nature Study

3rd Quarter Update

1. Use the Outdoor Hour Challenge topics to stimulate my interest in my local habitat and help to build my skills as a naturalist. Looking back on the months of July, August, and September, I did a better job of mentioning the Outdoor Hour Challenges we completed in my Outdoor Mom or Nature Observer monthly posts. We took more opportunities to take hikes than we normally do because I am feeling so good after my hip replacements. The Outdoor Hour Challenges we did included the summer willow study, the summer bird study, the fish study, and the pearly everlasting study. These were areas that came up during our walks and hikes that we took time to study and I included in my nature journal. I find it helpful to have some formal nature study that is planned and then seize opportunities that arise to learn more about nature topics of choice.
2. Keep a detailed record of my nature observations. My daily and five-year nature journals have been my primary focus this quarter. July and August had several pages of entries each: but, during the month of September, I didn’t get to create as many pages as I would have liked. We had another family crisis where we had to take care of a parent and that took a lot of our free time. October was even worse because I was out of state for 16 days! I will try to pick it back up this month and get into my nature study/nature journal routine.
3. Hiking and Kayaking. This was the summer of taking hikes on new trails! We visited lakes, waterfalls, and peaks. During each hike and paddle, we soaked in the beauty of Central Oregon. My husband’s favorite memory was the time the gray jays ate nuts from his hand while he was fishing at Todd Lake. My favorite memory was the day we hiked the Deschutes River trail and we saw the whitewater rafters go through a section of rapids. The wildflowers were another enjoyable aspect of hiking along the nearby trails. We have so little color from October to April which makes the warmer months all the more sweet for this nature loving family.
4. Read nature related books this year. I read the book, Beyond Sagebrush, this summer and learned a bunch of new things about my local habitat.

Did you make nature goals this year? How are doing at achieving those goals?

These are Amazon affiliate links to books I own and love.