This week’s addict is Jace Stansbury of Texas, who keeps notebooks devoted to a very specific purpose: recording observations of nature. Here’s some of the collection:

Jace’s thoughts on keeping notebooks:

I have stacks of pocket-sized notebooks full of observations made over the years and I’m in the process of re-writing these notes in a neater format along with photos that are related to each entry. Some folks use word processing programs and type their recordings, but I prefer mine to be handwritten. I do this because I feel something is lost when you type them up. Handwritten notes have character and personality. Each stroke of the pen or pencil contains a part of the person that made the observation.

More details on note-taking methodology:

At one time I used 4”x 6” lined spiral notebooks, but now prefer Moleskine notebooks, specifically the 3 ½” x 5 ½” unlined reporter’s version which has acid-free paper. My pen of choice is the Sharpie pens that don’t bleed through, are water resistant and acid free, specifically the Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and the Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Retractable. But sometimes I’ll use a good old fashioned #2 pencil.

And here’s a sample interior:

This makes me want to stop and look closely at things more often…

See more at Journals of an Amateur Naturalist: Capturing Notes in the Field.