Calendar of Firsts

You may have never heard of a Calendar of Firsts, but you probably have come across someone using one in some form. A wide range of people use one, -the professional biologist in the field noting the seasonal growth of milkweed, as does your grandmother who watches wildlife out her kitchen window. The practice of noting the times, seasons, and days of the changing of the seasons of nature is what the biologist and your grandmother are doing. And often they have some form of recording their observations.
I have seen biologists studying bats pull a small notebook from their front pocket and jot down the day and time of sighting. I’ve seen a grandmother jot down in her ‘Backyard Birds of North America’ field guide the date that she spotted the first spring robin in her front yard. And there, a smattering of previous dates from previous years of the return of welcome robin. Both are recording the date and sighting for future reference, for future remembrance, and today’s pleasure.
This Calendar of First fosters this same practice- the time tested practice of noticing and recording year after year. With room to write, notes can be made day after day, month after month to bring both scientific observation as well as the joy of seeing again our nature-friends. Plants, birds, wildlife, and weather all can be recorded and remembered in the Calendar of Firsts.