How to Use Field Notes Birds and Trees of North America
By Springbar | Published: 2026-10-16
Category: How-to Guides
Turn the Rex Brasher edition into a working nature journal. Follow seven steps to log birds, trees, and weather, with checkpoints for each outing.
Quick answer
Use the Birds and Trees of North America 3-pack as three separate field journals: one for birds, one for trees, and one for weather and location notes. Carry one book per outing, record only what you actually observe, and date every entry. The Rex Brasher artwork on the covers is a prompt, not a checklist—your notes are the real record.
Why this edition works as a field journal
The Birds and Trees of North America edition features artwork by Rex Brasher (1869–1960), an artist who committed from a young age to visiting all of America's bird species in their natural habitats. That backstory sets the tone for how you use the books: slowly, attentively, and outdoors. Each notebook in the 3-pack is a compact 3.5" x 5.5" memo book with 48 pages, bound by a rugged three-staple saddle-stitch process. The cover uses French Dur-O-Tone 80#C "Packing Brown Wrap" with a one-color application of "Dachshund Nose" black soy-based Toyo ink, and the innards are Finch Paper Opaque Smooth. In practice, that means the book lies flat enough to write in one hand, the paper takes pencil and most pens without ghosting through, and the size disappears into a jacket pocket or hip pack.
Set up each book before you go outside
Label the three books so you never mix purposes mid-outing. Write "Birds," "Trees," and "Places" on the covers or inside front pages. On the first page of each, draw a simple column header: date, time, location, species or subject, notes. Doing this at the kitchen table saves you from flipping back to find a blank page while a warbler is moving through the canopy.
Use weather and location as your anchor data
Every entry should start with the same three facts: date, time, and a short location description. Add temperature, wind, and sky condition if you have them. These details turn a list of sightings into a usable record you can compare across seasons. The Places book is where you keep the longer version—trail names, access notes, and what the habitat looked like.
Log birds by behavior, not just by name
If you are not sure of an identification, write what the bird was doing: foraging on the ground, hawking insects, singing from a high perch, moving in a mixed flock. Behavior notes are often more useful than a tentative name because they help you or another birder narrow the ID later. Use the Birds book for these entries and leave the first page blank as a running index you fill in after each trip.
Sketch trees and leaves when words run out
The plain inner pages of this edition take pencil and pen well, so a rough leaf outline, bark texture, or branching pattern is worth more than a paragraph of description. In the Trees book, sketch the leaf shape, note whether leaves are opposite or alternate, and record any fruit, cone, or seed present. You do not need to be an artist—a five-line sketch next to a date is enough to jog your memory next spring.
Seven steps for a working nature journal
- Pick one book per outing: Carry only the Birds book on a birding walk or only the Trees book on a foliage walk. The 3.5" x 5.5" size fits a pocket, but three books at once is clutter you will not use. Checkpoint: if you did not open the book by the end of the walk, you brought too many.
- Write the header before you leave the car: Date, time, location, weather. Do this before you start walking so you are not writing it from memory hours later. Checkpoint: a missing date makes an entry nearly useless for seasonal comparison.
- Record first, identify later: Write the behavior, size, color, and sound as you see them. Leave a blank line for the name and fill it in at home with a field guide or app. Common mistake: stopping to identify a moving bird and losing the observation entirely.
- Use the back page as a running index: After each trip, add the date and the species or tree you logged to the back page. This turns 48 pages into a searchable record without a separate index card. Checkpoint: if you cannot find last month's entry in ten seconds, your index is not working.
- Sketch before you describe: For trees and leaves, draw the outline first and add written notes around it. The Finch Paper Opaque Smooth innards handle pencil and most pens without bleed-through. Common mistake: writing three paragraphs about a leaf shape when a five-line sketch would be clearer.
- Keep the Places book for habitat notes: Use the third book for trail conditions, water sources, and habitat type. These notes explain why you saw what you saw and help you plan a return visit. Checkpoint: habitat notes should be specific enough to describe the spot to someone else.
- Review and close the loop at home: Spend five minutes after each outing filling in identifications, adding the index entry, and noting one thing to look for next time. Then put the book back in your pack so it is ready. Next step: start the next outing with a specific question from your last review.
Product facts
- FIELD NOTES - BIRDS AND TREES OF NORTH AMERICA - PACK A (3 PACK): The Birds and Trees of North America 3-pack features artwork by Rex Brasher (1869–1960), an artist who committed from a young age to visiting all of America's bird species in their natural habitats. The edition is designed around patient, repeated outdoor observation, which matches how you should fill the books: one outing at a time, not all at once.
- FIELD NOTES - PLAIN PAPER (3 PACK): The Plain Paper 3-pack uses the same Original Kraft memo book format: 48 pages per book, 3.5" x 5.5", three-staple saddle-stitch binding, and Finch Paper Opaque Smooth innards. If you want a second set for sketching or a backup for wet days, the plain version gives you the same pocket size and page count without the themed covers.
- MTN SUN T-SHIRT: The MTN SUN T-Shirt is 100% cotton, mid weight, screenprinted in Salt Lake City, UT, with a small chest logo and large back graphic. A mid weight cotton tee works as a base layer for cool morning birding and layers under a shell without adding bulk.
