I've always been interested in nature but got truly serious when I started birdwatching ~10 years ago. Before I discovered eBird, I kept all my bird sightings in an Excel spreadsheet. At some point it became challenging to see new birds in my local area and so to keep things interesting I started tracking the wildflowers, trees, insects, and other living things I was seeing on my bird hikes in the same spreadsheet. I discovered iNaturalist a couple of years ago and I'm loving it. Such a great way to keep track of one's sightings and to learn from others.