Hello

Leaves said:

I was rejected so many times with my first book, 16 times, but got there in the end!

Thank you, I cant tell you how encouraging that is to me! I just submitted my first short story to a magazine last week. It said it might take 12 weeks to hear back but they emailed me a rejection letter the same day! so that really knocked my confidence and Ive struggled to write stories since

I love penguins so much! I have about 80 plush penguins and I go to watch the penguins at my zoo all the time, they have their own little rock formation and they have African and Rockhopper penguins. Whats your favourite penguin breed? Mine are Emperors and Magellenic as I have always wanted to visit Patagonia where they live, there is so much wildlife there and it is such a fascinating part of the world. I like the little blue ones too

I think its amazing that you became a naturalist without going to uni or any of that stuff, I really admire you for that! I spend a lot of my time with my duck friends or birdwatching or rambling in the woods and river, it is so rewarding 

Hi thank you. I love nature, it's my favourite thing.

CaliforniaDreamer95 said:

It's always good to have established authors in our community. It just goes to show that the condition can expand talent.

Hi, thanks!

Yes definitely, the condition has many challenges but I believe you can do anything if you want to. Lots of times my autism has been an asset for me.

Hi Billy, I know right it's surreal! Like a dream. As soon as I saw your pic I knew you must love nature. Your writing sounds awesome! I love the sound of your Berlin Zoo book, I bet that will be a fascinating read. Good luck with it. And don't get disheartened if you don't get published first time - I was rejected so many times with my first book, 16 times, but got there in the end! :) 

Penguins are one of my favourite animals! I think they are gorgeous and very interesting. Birds basically but they can't fly, their wings are pointing down like arms which aids their water skills.

I would love to see a flying penguin.

Going to the safari and zoo frequently must be fun. That's also a good starting point if you want to get more involved with nature. There might be volunteer opportunities for you. Definitely worth asking about.

Billy87 said:

How do you get to be a naturalist? Must be an amazing career 

Technically you study it and get your qualifications but if you struggled in a learning environment like I did then you "cheat" and don't bother with that. Lol. 

I decided I was a naturalist before I actually was. I got out there and threw myself in to nature, started photography, videos, writing and went to local events. Eventually I was noticed, I guess I made enough noise and the rest as they say is history. But most will go to college/uni depending on what they're going for.

I would never have coped with that so I did it my own way and thankfully it worked out.

I hope you decide to do this as well. It's a worthwhile and rewarding career. Nature is the best.

HI Leaves, wow its amazing you've already had two books published thats awesome! I am working on a couple at the moment, including a story about the Berlin Zoo at the end of WW2. I love nature too and spend most of my time out in the country. What are your favourite animals and living creatures? I love ducks and wildfowl and spend most days feeding them. I also spend a lot of time at my local safari park / zoo and, as you can tell from my picture, I love hippos.

How do you get to be a naturalist? Must be an amazing career 

Hello Jess and welcome to the forum!

I was diagnosed at 24, I'm now 27 (Nearly 28). Getting my diagnosis has helped me and my family understand why I am like I am.

It's always good to have established authors in our community. It just goes to show that the condition can expand talent.

Hello and welcome.  Nature is wonderful.

Leaves said:

I'm glad you found out, sorry it wasn't earlier

Thanks. I created/invented/manifested a digital currency enterprise that wouldn't have happened if i wasn't autistic with the ability to think outside the box. Nor would it have happened if i was diagnosed before the age of 29. So that's a positive way of looking at things. 

Here is my new Bumble Bee house. It just has my dogs hair in now but when the leaves dry out i'm going to add some of those:

I am so pleased for you. I'm glad you found out, sorry it wasn't earlier but great you found the community. I wish I'd known earlier, it would have been a lot better for me during my teen and school years. Knowing about this community sooner would have been good as well. But glad to know now - it's just the comfort of having some answers to questions I've had pretty much my entire life and knowing I'm not alone.

I love the bee bricks. Provides a nice safe shelter for them, lovely. It's good that some areas don't allow flower picking which could cause issues for them. They're so important so it's good to keep them safe.

My books are autobiographical and about nature and animals. :) 

Hi, absolutely, no problem!

I would suggest studying the area in detail beforehand, loading up maps on Google during your exploring won't hurt either. Get to know it before you go and then it won't seem so "alien".

I have had this issue when I was first starting and that helped me. 

I started small as well. Just an ordinary field before anything too big. It's surprising what you'll find, plant life, animals... And also take pictures so you can look back on it and also compare what places are like after different weathers and seasons.

Going with someone, if you can get someone to go with you, will help as well. None of my family ever wanted to join me for nature walks and exploring sadly.

I hope this helps. :) 

may I ask a question? I have always had a fondness for nature and exploring but my anxieties have always taken precedence and it doesn't help that I get lost remarkably easily. I was wondering if you have had any of these issues or if you could concieve any possible solutions?

Thanks

I have been coming on here since December and this small community has been invaluable to me since then. I had my autism realization just before Christmas at the age of 35 and was a bit shell shocked for 2 weeks or so. I'm so thankful for knowing as my whole life i couldn't work out what was up with me and why i felt out of place all the time 

The bee's definitely need more help. I like these bee friendly housebricks that are being put into new builds:

Do you mind me asking what your books are about? Mine will be autobiographical 

Hi Jamie, thanks so much. Good to here. I saw Nas on Twitter and decided I would join up. The diagnosis has been life-changing for me, I feel so much wiser and better now I know.

Have you been here for long?

Good for you R.E. the bees. The world needs more people looking out for them. I've got some hives in one of my fields, I will upload a pic later on as well.

Good luck with your book! I hope it's everything you're hoping for and more.

Hi Jess, nice to have you with us and also nice to hear that your autism diagnosis has had such a positive impact for you

I also love nature.....i've decided to focus on helping the bees and other pollinators this year by planting lots of bee friendly plants in my garden. Will upload a pic of my new Bumble Bee house soon

Well done RE the book writing. I'm hoping to write my first in the near future