Hi-
Next to binoculars all those 'How to bird watch' books say you need a note book.
here's some examples of Field notebooks
From the left-
An old unused pocket diary - some tape around the outside and it's surprisingly good. Takes bending and being sat on well and is slim and light. 7x3 "
Standard stationers A6 type notebook. Often cheaply made and doesnt bend well and the covers tend to get soggy and mushy , if they dont stick into you! Provide your own rubber band. 6x4"
The 'policeman's notebook' type, cheap and neat and some say 'the right way up'. Found in stationers/ office suppliers etc. Handy elastic band. Small and dinky. 5x3"
The purpose made notebook- expensive but lovely to use. Comes with a bird list inside at the front and elastic band. 5.75 x 3.75 "
S
ps- Alwych make a highly regarded note book but despite several efforts over several months I could not get hold of one- they are always out of stock lately.
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
For those who want to know, I use No 3 when birding about in Britain and No4 for foreign trips
:)
The RSPB sell a version of the "policemans" notebook with a loop on the sine for a pencil which is quite handy to save digging the bottom of your pocket for your Argos sized pencil.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
I know :) Not wanting to bash the RSPB's profits but my memory says they charge about £2-99 for them. The version shown ( without pen loop ) costs about £1 in my office supply place.
Got mine in a post xmas sale £1.29 inc. pencil,agree full price is way over the top.
an update, you can now get nice moleskin covered ruled or plain notebooks made by a french company for £5.
Update-
the Birdwatchers Logbook is a pre-printed green covered bound logbook with lists and pages laid out for field trips
I have a birdwatchers Log Book from BTO - the front and back covers are a dark green with Black Text.
Cannot remember the price, so it makes me think I got it as freebie somewhere or another
Regards
Kathy and Dave
I used this type of logbook for years before starting to put stuff on the computer,it was great for transfering records from your field note book to something more permanent
Seaman, I think you may have hit it on the head for me. Always used a note book until recently when I got bird recording software. Now I use a voice recorder and update to the computer but often forget. The other problem I now have is if I see something odd and want to note down plumage details. I dont have that ability to create a little picture. This entry may prompt me to go back to a log book.
For interest because I cant draw I had taken to copying a bird picture off the internet, turning it into black and white and reducing the intensity leaving in effect a line drawing. I did this for several bird families and printed that onto labels that I could stick in the book in case I needed to note down those plumage details.
The Cotswold Water park sightings website
My Flicker page
Bob what a fantastic idea, template birds.
It's both what you do and the way that you do it!
You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922)