Embark on a journey of birdwatching discovery with the perfect companion – a birding journal! In this guide, we’ve curated a selection of the best birding journals for 2024 to help you document and cherish your avian encounters.
Whether you’re a seasoned birder or a budding enthusiast, these journals are designed to enhance your birdwatching experiences and preserve your cherished memories.
Table of Contents
Best Birding Journals
The Birder – Bird Watching Log, Notebook and Journal
The Birder is a great logbook for bird watching. I thought this journal was well organized and well-thought-out book for documenting your observations. It has 116 pages for record keeping, plus it has an additional 58 individual pages for bird spotting days, so you have plenty of room to keep track of all the birds you see on any given day or week.
The cover design is colorful and eye catching, making it easy to find in your backpack when you’re out looking for new birds!
The Birder Logbook would be great for any bird watcher looking to take their hobby to the next level or who wants to have documentation of what they’ve seen over time.
Rite in the Rain All Weather Spiral Notebook
The Rite in the Rain All Weather Birder’s Journal is a great way to keep track of your bird sightings while out and about. The paper will not get soggy or destroyed when wet, which means that if it starts to rain while you are out looking for birds, this journal will be able to hold up better than most other notebooks on the market.
The 64 pages per notebook provides plenty of space for notes on what species you see and where you find them. The paper is waterproof and can withstand water, dirt, grease, or anything else you might encounter on your adventure.
Plus, the binding is durable enough to hold up to any abuse in your back pocket or pack – it won’t lose its shape!
Birding Journal: Through the Seasons
Keeping track of your bird sightings is not only fun, but it’s also a great way to document how you are doing with your birding skills. It can be hard to remember what birds you saw when and where unless you have a journal or log that allows for quick reference.
This journal has everything from sophisticated art work on the cover to elegant style in its layout inside. The book starts off with an introduction about why keeping a record of your sightings is important, followed by monthly calendars to help the reader remember what they saw.
The book has a variety of activities and things to do for any type of bird watcher including: sketching unknown species, recording the birds eating at your feeder, and comparing years data to keep track of how your sightings change through time.
Birder’s Life List & Journal (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
There are many people who enjoy bird watching, but what is the best way to keep track of your collection? The Birder’s Life List and Journal by Cornell Lab of Ornithology will help you with that.
It’s organized by year and month, with plenty of space to write down every bird species that you’ve seen. There are also sections for notes about each sighting and sketches or drawings if desired.
The Birder’s Life List & Journal is the perfect way to keep track of your collection as well as learn more about birds through observation. This journal includes information on nearly every bird species found in North America, complete with illustrations of each.
The Sibley Birder’s Life List and Field Diary (Sibley Birds)
The Sibley Birder’s Life List and Field Diary is a must-have for anyone who wants to get the most out of their next birding trip. This book is the perfect gift for any birder, beginner or advanced.
It includes a full life list checklist with all 923 species found in the United States and Canada to help you keep track of what you’ve seen.
It also includes space for on-site notes and observations which is helpful when birding as they often provide key information about behavior, habits, habitat preferences, feeding methods, etc.
Best Digital Bird Watching Journal
eBird Mobile App
Many birders have a love-hate relationship with paper. For some, it’s the best way to track sightings and share them with friends and fellow enthusiasts. Others find that not having to keep up with loose sheets of paper or cumbersome notebooks is a blessing in disguise.
The eBird mobile app makes it easy for birders to go digital while still enjoying all the benefits of traditional list making: accurate record keeping, data collection, location pinning, etc. The app offers a wide range of data analysis and mapping tools to create reports for your personal or professional use.
You can even connect with other birders to share sighting information, all from the convenience of your phone. So what are you waiting for? Download the eBird mobile app today! You can download and install the Android version here, and the IOS version here.
Best Bird Watching Log Book App
eBird Mobile App
Bird watching is one of the most popular hobbies, but it can be hard to keep track of all your sightings. eBird Mobile App makes it easy to log every bird you see on a variety of maps that are updated in real time. This app has features for both casual and experienced birders alike, making it an essential tool for any aspiring ornithologist.
The eBird Mobile App is the best bird watching log book app available because not only does it make keeping track of sightings easy, but it also gives people the opportunity to get more involved in bird conservation. The eBird Mobile App was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in 2002.
It’s a free app that runs on both iOS and Android devices. eBird provides instant gratification for avid birders while acting as an education tool for novices who are just getting started with birding or may be wondering what some unfamiliar birds might be. You can download and install the Android version here, and the IOS version here.
Best Free Printable Bird Watching Journal
FREE Printable Bird Watching Journal PDF
Do you want to keep a journal of your favorite birds but don’t have the money for a professional, high-quality one? This bird watching journal is a free printable that I have made for those of you who are looking for a budget friendly solution. This could be a great way to keep track of your progress and the birds you’ve seen so far this year.
Click on the DOWNLOAD button below to receive your 6″ x 9″ in. FREE Printable Bird Watching Journal PDF.
I would recommend printing out 50 to 100 copies in color or black and white, and having the pages cerlox ring bond, for a professional look. Another option is to hole punch the sheets and slip it into a ring binder.
Best Bird Watching Log Book with Pictures
Do you love to go bird watching? Do you want a log book that will not only track your sightings, but also includes pictures of the birds you see on your trips? This is my pick for the Best Bird Watching Log Book with Pictures.
Birder’s Life List & Journal (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
For those of us who enjoy life on the wing, Birder’s Life List & Journal is the perfect travel companion. The first thing I noticed about this log book was how easy it was to use. The whole process, from taking notes and marking my location, to entering what I saw and where I saw it, went smoothly without any hiccups.
The sturdy flexible cover and robust pages will hold up to plenty of use and abuse as you trek through jungles, forests, deserts, mountains and wetlands around the world. Twelve color illustrations by artist Rigel Stuhmiller show birds in their natural habitats so that you can identify them quickly with a glance.
It also has a huge comprehensive full-color life list, that covers North American and Hawaiian species and current accidental species.
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