BACKYARD HABITAT / NEW GUIDE
Bring a little wild back
What is rewilding? Start with a manageable native planting patch or a simple leaf refuge.
Explore the backyard rewilding guideA field guide to everyday wild places
Notice more nature.
You don’t have to go far. Start with one bird, one leaf, or one patch of trail—and see what changes when you pay attention.
Explore the field guidesWild Notebook is a place for small, repeatable ways to notice wildlife. Bring curiosity. A notebook helps, but it isn’t required.
Make something magical / Fairy garden series
Build your own tiny woodland village.
Turn fallen bark, twigs, leaves, and pebbles into a fairy garden. Start with a simple village layout, then build a tiny bark cottage—one manageable project at a time.
Explore the fairy garden & start building → Make an acorn villagerBuild the bark cottage · Part 2
Animal of the week
Meet the white rhino
Look closely at the white rhino’s mouth. Its broad, square upper lip is adapted for grazing on grass. Watch this week’s feature for a closer look at this remarkable animal.
Learn more: Save the Rhino International’s white rhino guide.
Start outside
Field guides for noticing—and helping—wildlife
Choose your next activity: watch wildlife, read animal signs, or create habitat.
ANIMAL SIGNS / ILLUSTRATED GUIDE
How to spot white-tailed deer signs
Compare tracks, trails, rubs, and scrapes, then try a short family observation activity.
Explore the deer guideHIKING / START CLOSE TO HOME
Find a trail that fits your group
Find a nearby trailhead, check the footing and amenities, and choose a first hike your group will enjoy.
Read the hiking guide01 / BIRDS
Your first five minute bird walk
Choose one place and listen before you move. A short visit you repeat can teach you more than a long checklist.
Read the field note02 / ANIMAL SIGNS
Who passed through here?
Tracks are just one clue. Look for feeding signs, worn paths and the pattern around them.
Read the field note03 / INSECTS
One leaf, a whole neighborhood
Search both sides of a leaf carefully and leave the tiny residents where you found them.
Read the field note04 / STREAMS
Read a stream like a trail
Slow down at the edges, bends and shaded pockets. Ask where an animal could rest or feed.
Read the field note05 / SMALL LIFE
A fallen log is a wildlife neighborhood
A log does more than slowly disappear. It creates shelter, moisture and edges worth watching.
Read the field note06 / SMALL LIFE
Watch one flower for sixty seconds
A still flower can turn into a busy scene when you give it a full minute.
Read the field note07 / ANIMAL SIGNS
Who’s visiting your backyard at night?
Investigate tracks, disturbed soil, and nighttime sightings. Includes common visitors and a three-night family activity.
Explore the illustrated guide08 / BIRDS
Binoculars are a tool, not a starting line
A steady look at a familiar bird teaches more than magnification alone.
Read the field note09 / WATER
What lives at the pond edge?
The boundary between water and land is a good place to watch quietly.
Read the field note10 / FIELD PRACTICE
How to keep a sixty second nature note
One useful sentence is better than a blank page waiting for a perfect entry.
Read the field noteField gear
Useful field gear
BACKYARD / SHOPPING GUIDE
Materials for the habitat book
Choose your project, compare tools and materials, and reuse what you already have. Includes containers, birdbaths, nest boxes, and the wildlife pond bonus.
Browse recommended habitat materialsTENKARA / FLY FISHING
The Hane rod
A compact fixed-line rod that Jeremy owns and enjoys. See what comes with it, what else you need, and where it fits on a first stream trip.
Read the Hane field gear noteWATER / OBSERVATION
See beneath the surface
A tethered camera can show fish in a pond or stream from the bank. Here is what to consider before using the Anminto S26.
Read the underwater camera noteBACKYARD / FIRSTHAND REVIEW
The binoculars by my kitchen window
My Bushnell Spectator Sport 8×32: years of backyard wildlife watching, easy packing for trips, and good value in my experience.
Read my Bushnell binocular reviewWILDLIFE / CAMERA
Be present when you aren’t
A trail camera records visits to a path between your own visits. Learn what the non-cellular GardePro A3S does and how to place it responsibly.
Read the trail camera noteSMALL LIFE / PHOTOGRAPHY
A whole world in one leaf
Get closer to leaf veins and tiny insects with a phone macro lens. Try a simple field exercise and see where the APEXEL 10x fits.
Read the phone macro noteBACKYARD / FIRSTHAND REVIEWS
The feeders I use
My window feeders, camera feeder, and squirrel picnic table: perching room, cleaning, and what happens when squirrels join the buffet.
Read my bird feeder reviewsFAMILY / FIRSTHAND REVIEW
A campsite close to home
Our kids’ pretend camping kit, five years later: a tent that has held up, a favorite toy fire, and binoculars for watching backyard wildlife.
Read our family camping kit reviewBooks by Jeremy L. Koering
Choose your next outdoor adventure
Birding / Start with what you have
Beginner’s Guide to Minimalist Birding
For curious beginners who want to notice more birds without a complicated gear list. Build the habit of watching and listening in your neighborhood, backyard or local park.
Explore the birding book on AmazonFly fishing / From woods to stream
From Woods to Water
How Bow Hunters Can Master the Art of Fly Fishing
For bow hunters ready to try fly fishing. Carry your patience and ability to read a landscape into a new kind of outdoor adventure.
Explore the fly fishing book on AmazonBirds & insects / Look a little closer
The Birder’s Guide to Insects
Explore the connection between birds and insects, discover the small creatures around you, and bring a new layer of curiosity to your next walk outside.
Explore the insect book on AmazonBackyard habitat / Hardcover
Wild Notebook: The Backyard Habitat Handbook
10 Practical Projects for Mid-Atlantic Yards
Make room for wildlife with projects that fit your yard, from native planting beds and containers to birdbaths. Start with one spot and build from there.
View the hardcover on Amazon (paid link) →The Impossible Life series / Book one
The Impossible Life of a Humming Bird
Tiny bird, extreme survival
Meet the tiny bird behind an extraordinary fight for survival. The first book in The Impossible Life series explores the challenges of life as a hummingbird.
Available in Kindle and paperback.
Choose your edition on AmazonThe Impossible Life series / Book two
The Impossible Life of a Squirrel
Small Mammal, Big Winter
Look closer at eastern gray squirrels through autumn gathering, winter survival, and the next generation. Discover the hidden food stores, shelter, and daily challenges behind this familiar backyard animal.
Available in Kindle and paperback.
Choose your edition on AmazonThe Impossible Life series / New release
The Impossible Life of a Beaver
Built to Survive Winter
A frozen pond. An active family. A winter prepared in autumn. Follow North American beavers through autumn gathering, freeze-up, winter activity, and spring thaw.
Explore how food stores, shelter, water depth, and physical adaptations work together—and how beaver activity shapes wetlands and intersects with human land uses.
Explore the beaver book on AmazonThe Impossible Life series / Book three
The Impossible Life of a Monarch Butterfly
Fragile Wings, Extraordinary Journey
Follow the monarch from an egg on milkweed through metamorphosis, migration, winter survival, and a journey carried forward across generations.
Explore the monarch book on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jeremy’s Bookshelf
Good company for your next quiet evening
Books for outdoor adventures, natural movement, and backyard exploration—including personal favorites and classic Audubon field guides.
Browse my recommended booksAbout Wild Notebook
Curiosity is the field kit.
Wild Notebook shares approachable observations about birds, insects, animal signs and life around water. Jeremy L. Koering is the author of Beginner’s Guide to Minimalist Birding, From Woods to Water, The Birder’s Guide to Insects, the beaver, hummingbird, squirrel, and monarch butterfly books in The Impossible Life series.