Wildlife writing and reporting is a new format of Television and radio programming. It requires the skills of a specialist reporter to cover the topic. With the advent of channels dedicated to wildlife 24 x 7 the scope of wildlife news writing has increased leaps and bounds. If you are passionate about watching animals and wildlife this is the apt career for you. Start keeping a journal to record your observations, here are some inspirations and helpful tips to get you started.
Reasons to Keep a Wildlife Journal
The wildlife journal is a wonderful way to capture your outdoor experiences and is a convenient place to jot down your observations of the animal world. It takes a great deal of time and information to understand animals and their environment. By keeping careful records of your observations, you can later draw information together and make conclusions about what you saw. Sometimes, the things you make note of may seem insignificant. But natural processes take place on many time scales: minutes, days, months, years; and complex patterns may emerge that you otherwise might overlook. By keeping a consistent journal, you can capture more information than you could by simply relying on your memory.
Reading Works by Other Naturalists
Reading the books and essays of other naturalists helps to enrich your skills as a wildlife writer.
Discover detailed accounts of explorations and painstaking descriptions of the animals and wildlife of far-away places. Try one of the following books: John James Audubon’s Writings and Drawings, The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson, Muir Among the Animals by John Muir, Galapagos: World’s End by William Beebe, The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, Curious Naturalists by Niko Tinbergen.
- Selecting a Journal: Your journal should be large enough so that it is comfortable for you to write in, while small enough to fit easily into a daypack or shoulder bag Select a journal with high quality binding and a durable cover so it can better handle the wear and tear of your outdoor adventures
- Organizing your Journal: You should keep a chronological journal, dating each entry and numbering the pages as you go. You can also divide your journal into sections, perhaps one section for each of the sites you regularly visit to make your observations. If you want to create a table of contents, reserve several blank pages at the beginning of your journa You can later use these pages as a place to list the subject headings and pages to which you frequently refer. Use the last few pages of your journal to note projects and future plans. That way, you will have a clear idea of how you will proceed with your studies in your next volume.
- Collecting Information: The types of information you collect depend primarily on what you hope to learn about the animals and wildlife you observe For example, if you are interested in animal behavior, you’ll probably collect information about foraging methods, social behavior, and courtship habits But don’t limit yourself to only what interests you. Take note of temperature, time of day, and location. Draw sketches of animals and their markings illustrate cross-sections of landscapes and habitats, describe calls and communication behavior. When you later review the information you have collected, you may be surprised to find unexpected patterns emerging.
