Boy, this is the coldest winter I can remember!" "We've had more snow this year than last year already!" "By this time last year, the bluebirds were already nesting!" “I don’t ever remember a summer this cool!” Maybe you've heard statements like these concerning wildlife and weather. We've heard how it’s hotter or colder this year, or how the leaves are turning later this year, or the daffodils are earlier this year and why aren't the hummingbirds here yet? I recall one recent example when an early snowfall caught us by surprise and many people were remarking how "it’s never snowed this early before!" Yet, a check of weather records the year before showed that it had snowed on that very same date! People forget! You can't trust to your memory. 
     
We blame LaNina, El Nino, global warming and the greenhouse effect, and so on. Weird weather! Back in the 50s, 60s and 70s, Chicken Little was warning of a coming ice age, now she’s running about yelling, “global warming.” The history books tell me weather has always been weird and cyclical. The Vikings settled Greenland back in the 1000s, but had to abandon it as weather changed and we had a mini ice age in the 1300s. Is that why there was such a gap between Leif Ericksen’s travels and Columbus’ voyage? We had some unusually cold weather in the early 1980s and all kinds of historical articles appeared about Chesapeake Bay freezing in the 1880s, and even Charleston, SC harbor supposedly had ice on it. The year 1940 was called the year without a summer, with temps only in the 70s in some northern states.

     Weather can be cyclical not just in one generation but over a period of many generations. Individually we live such a short time, we don’t get to experience all those changes. We see only a small part of the picture. Having said that, in my 28 years in Virginia it does seem as if the winters are coming later and springs are colder and later—almost as if a shift has occurred. For the most part, however, Nature’s seasonal events are amazingly consistent. While certain things can happen earlier or later in certain years, it’s been my experience that most events or “happenings” in Nature consistently take place within a 10-day “window” from year to year, often within seven days and regularly within three days! Many of these happenings don't depend on weather at all, but are triggered by daylight hours!  Bird migrations are one example.

     One good way of staying informed and keeping track of what is happening in the outdoor world, is to keep a daily diary or day book. For many years now, I have kept a journal which I called my "Hunting, Fishing and Nature Log." It first began as a fishing log, then I added hunting when I got involved in duck hunting in 1965. In it, I would record the date, weather information, such as temperature, wind velocity and direction, barometric pressure or cloud cover. I'd also note what water conditions were, what types of aquatic vegetation were present, how many fish I caught, what they were biting on and how they were responding as it seemed to me.
Having been a "birder" since age six, I couldn't resist listing some of the birds I saw. Since I fished mainly in spring, often they were the first of the year to arrive. After a long, cold Wisconsin winter, it was a significant event. I began circling the species if they were the first of the year, so I began to build a record of migration patterns. I'd list each species I saw and their numbers on some occasions. Soon I was writing down any odd or unusual things I saw. I recorded bird behavior during migration, during breeding, during nesting and rearing of the young, during preparations for the fall migration, as well as wintering habits.

     As part of my fishing log, I noted stages in vegetative growth through the seasons. I recorded the height of green shoots of cattails on a given date, or when the red-osier dogwood bloomed or the first pussy willows showed, when the bloodroots were blooming on the forest floor, or when the first lilacs bloomed in the backyard. I really got serious with my journal when I began duck hunting 35 years ago. Again, it was a record of dates, weather and waterfowl seen, as well as their habits. The first flocks of particular species were listed, or when the largest flocks seemed prevalent through the season, or how they "worked" back and forth and how they reacted to various decoy sets. Once again, the bird watcher in me came forth and I started recording the last barn swallows to move through or the first snow buntings from the arctic that came "bobbing" low over the northeast wind-driven waves. You could almost predict the coming arctic cold front without the TV weatherman when you saw large flocks of snow geese and swans high in the blue sky appearing as tiny twinkling lights. It was duck hunting that turned me into a real weather-watcher. My hunting buddies and I wanted to know where the wind would be blowing from and how strong so we could place our decoys accordingly. Running a set of 75 to 120 decoys was no small task in the riled waters of Lake Winnebago, near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

     There were some days when I didn't seem to have anything to write about. It seems that you even have to be in a right mood to keep a Nature Journal. I'd often force myself to write something. To overcome "writer's block," I'd at least record the weather. However, sometimes just a walk; down to the lake, or to the marsh or even around the yard, would trigger something. There's always something to see and learn about in the outdoors. A never-ending supply of educational materials and examples exist in the outdoors and a Nature Journal helps you to tap that source.

     During one period in my life, I lived near the shore of Lake Winnebago and had to drive a country highway along the lakeshore, across creek bridges, through farmland, and finally, through a marsh. This always gave me observations to record. One year it was a little ruddy duck that was slowly being frozen in by ice. Apparently he had been crippled and couldn’t fly. Another winter, I spotted a red-winged blackbird alongside the road at the marsh with an obviously broken wing. He was unable to fly south. Each morning I'd watch for him on the shoulder of the road picking gravel and weed seeds, always in the same general area since he was afoot and unable to fly. After each successive cold snap or blizzard, I'd make a special effort to look for him to see if he had survived. Sometimes a couple of days would go by when he wasn't there and I figured he hadn't made it. Then on the third day, there he'd be again, feeding furiously, trying to cram as many life-sustaining calories into his body as possible. I got to the point where I was cheering out loud for him each morning I spotted him! I had grown to admire that tough little bird. His instinct to survive was very strong. However, the deck was stacked against him. Amazingly, he lasted well into January. Finally, a full week went by without seeing him. He had apparently succumbed to the elements.

     It’s even okay to get a little philosophical in your nature log. I'd frequently record thoughts and feelings concerning life as influenced by my days afield. What I found happening, as I recorded my observations, was that I began actually looking for things to write down rather than waiting for things to write down. The more I began to write, the more I began to see. Writing actually stimulated my interest and curiosity. I wanted to see and learn more. I started becoming aware–more perceptive–of what was going on around me.
As years of Nature Journals were accumulated, my "data base" expanded. I could see patterns, consistencies and inconsistencies. I noted the unusual and the common. I began to realize the number of variables that affect our fish and wildlife when it came to weather, water levels, food supply and the effects of man's encroachment, and land-use. I had a pretty good idea of when to start watching for certain species of birds to appear or leave, and even where to look for them. I had a good idea of when certain wild flowers, shrubs and trees would be blossoming.

     Of course, my logs weren't very scientific. They fulfilled only one step, that of personal observation. Some conclusions I would reach would have some degree of error in them because it was impossible for me to be out in the fields and marshes on the same dates or length of time each year. That first kingbird I saw one year, may have arrived a week ago! Then too, there's a tendency to look harder on those dates previous logs showed the birds arriving.

     What's neat about a nature log is that when someone says, "it’s never snowed this early before," or "the geese are late this year," you can check it out in previous diaries. Keeping a Nature log or journal is an excellent way of putting you in touch with the outdoors. Having been a vegetable gardener for 35 years as well, I started adding gardening information to my journal. When I planted, rainfall, temperatures, the dates my wife’s flowers began blooming.

     Start this year to record what you see at the backyard bird feeder, the habits of individual species, their arrival dates in spring and departure dates in fall; the first leaves to sprout and the first to start turning colors in fall; the first frost or freeze-up and other information. Hunters, fishermen, birdwatchers and gardeners will feel an even closer kinship to the outdoors by recording pertinent data on a daily basis. Get closer to your outdoors! Start a Hunting, Fishing and Nature Journal.
 
© 2000 Spike Knuth All rights reserved