Field Journal
A field journal is essential to a scientist's fieldwork, and your field journal will be your
permanent record of the totality of your field experience. Often, young scientists do not think it is
important to take good field notes if you are not collecting data. You may convince yourself that
the things you see are so amazing that you will remember them for the rest of your life. But the
truth is you will not remember them all, and what you forget could prove to be very important.
When you go into the rainforest or other ecosystems we’ll visit, you will record your
observations, thoughts and questions in your field journal. Your field journal will be unique to
you, reflecting your personal style. Some people record their observations with charts, lists and
labels, while others will write long, detailed descriptions. Let these questions guide you in
developing your journal: What day and time of day is it? What are the current weather
conditions? What do I see? Why might that animal be doing what it is doing? Why is this plant
growing where it is growing? What kinds of tracks are those? Do I see anything that surprises
me? How have I traveled to this spot? Who is in my group and making the same observations?
The answers to these questions, along with all your observations, interpretations, and data will be
a valuable source of information for developing your own hypotheses.
Some types of information that should be included in field journals are:
Habitats and Vegetation: What kinds of plants are present? What is the topography like? Is it
sloped or flat? What type of habitat and substrate do you see? Are you in a forest, on a mudflat,
on the bayside or on the oceanside? What plant species are flowering? Do you see fruits or
seeds on the ground? Do you see evidence of animal trails or other unusual features? What
kinds of animal species do you see?
Species lists: Include a "species seen or heard today" list at the end of the day's entry. If
someone in your group saw something you did not, you can include a separate list entitled
"species seen or heard by others." Be sure to include a first and last name of who made the
observation. At the end of your field experience, make a list of all species seen or heard, starting
from the last page of your journal.
Detailed species accounts: This is a detailed account of a particular species that you find
interesting. Include a date, time, and location for each species account, perhaps including a map
if it helps. When did you start observing the organism? When did you stop? What is the
organism doing? Vocalizing? What does it sound like? Feeding? On what? Perching? If so,
where? For how long? Is it flying? Did it take flight when it saw you? Engaging in courtship
behavior? What habitat is it in? For animals on the move, are they moving in a direction or do
they seem to be engaging in a search pattern (i.e. back and forth?). For plants, describe if it is
growing alone or in a group with other members of the species. Is it flowering or fruiting? Is
there herbivore damage? What is its overall morphology? Are there insects on the plant? What
are they doing? These questions are examples, not an exhaustive list of things to include.
Drawings and maps: Researchers will often sketch plants they are trying to learn the names of,
or birds they only briefly glimpse and need to identify later (in which case they pay attention to
key field marks like bill shape, bird size, color and color pattern, head markings, etc.).
Sometimes you can draw an item of interest. Maps can be useful to relocate sessile organisms.
General commentary: Here you can write about anything that does not fit into the above
categories. What activities did you do? Were the mosquitoes bad or mild? Did you observe an
ecological interaction, like a bird eating a mollusk? An insect caught in a spider’s web? Beetles
mating? Was there anything that might inhibit your observations from that day (like illness)?
Reflections and ideas: Write down your own insights and ideas you develop. For example, you
may be struck by how few large animals you see, or how you learned to catch fiddler crabs more
effectively. This is also a place for your hypotheses as you develop them.
The evaluation scheme for your field journal will be as follows:
Date, time,
weather
Location
Description
Species lists
Species accounts
Habitats and
vegetation
General
commentary
Reflections and
ideas
Excellent
All pages have a date
and notes are listed by
time and weather is
noted (rain, sun, etc.)
Includes trail name or
other identifying
features for easy
relocation
Observed plants and
animals are listed, along
with time of day,
habitat, location,
weather conditions, etc.
Complete list is found at
the back of the journal,
easily readable
Most days have at least
3 species accounts with
detailed observations,
noting start and end
times for the observation
Excellent habitat
descriptions are
provided
General commentary is
provided every day
Reflections and ideas
appear frequently are
often insightful
Adequate
All pages have a date;
time and weather is
usually noted
Inadequate
Use of dates and times
and recording of weather
data is inconsistent
Locality name is
vague
No location data is
available
observed of plants and
animals are listed, but
no further context is
provided
Complete list is found
at the back of the
journal
Some days include
observed plants and
animals, other days do
not
Partial list is found at the
back of the journal
Most days have 1-2
species accounts, with
limited observations
and occasional start
and end times
Limited habitat
descriptions are
provided
General commentary
is provided most days
Reflections and ideas
appear occasionally
Species accounts are
rare or lack detailed
observations
No habitat descriptions
are provided
General commentary is
rare
Reflections and ideas are
rare
Keeping a Field Notebook and Field Journal: The Grinnell System
The Grinnell System of keeping field notebooks and field journals is designed to aid scientific
investigation. It is the method most often used by professional biologists and field naturalists.
The method was developed by Joseph Grinnell (1877-1939), an ecologist, professor and the first
director of the University of California's Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. We will use
it in North Carolina to develop strong observation skills. Old field journals have been used to
have document changes in species distributions and shifts in species phenologies, both of which
appear tied to climate change. Since little is known about most of animal and plant species in the
tropics, most of the observations you make could prove to be useful and valuable.
You will keep two notebooks: a field notebook and a field journal. Here is the difference:
Field Notebook - You will take this with you everywhere, and you will write items down at the
time you make your observations. Write this observation checklist in the back of your field
notebook. Following it can improve your note-taking and develop skills of consistent
observation. For every daily excursion you take, your notebook should contain this information.
Essential information is in bold. Field notebooks with “Rite in the Rain” paper and a pen with
non-water-soluble ink will be given to you in your field bags.
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time (use 24-hour clock format; 14:35
for 2:35p.m.)
date (use international format: 08 May
2012)
locality (place, usually the county and
the distance from a "permanent"
marker of some sort is included
(estimated m from landmarks)
route (how did you get there)
weather (temperature, cloud types,
wind, rain, etc.)
habitats (sea grass bed, mudflat,
maritime forest, etc.)
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general vegetation or habitat type
species seen, describe if you can't
identify
general notes on animals, plants, and
their interactions
sketches and maps (if you cannot
photograph)
hypotheses or questions that occur to
you
Field Journal - the field journal stays at the field station. At the end of the day, you will take
your raw data from your field notebook and convert it into a narrative account of what you did
and what you saw on that particular day. Follow this rule: NO JOURNAL ENTRY THIS DAY,
NO SLEEP THIS NIGHT.