The shape of a note
Three lines, written where they happened
A field note is short on purpose. It is written on the tailgate or in the cab before the impression flattens out, and it keeps the same three lines every time.
Conditions
Date, place, weather, light, temperature. The plain facts that let the rest of the note be trusted later.
Observation
One thing actually seen or heard — a bird, a smell of cut beans, a hinge, a name on a mailbox. No interpretation allowed.
Afterthought
A single sentence added later, if one arrives. Many notes never get this line, and that is a fine result.
Entries are being gathered.