Her earliest work, Watchful Fish, (published by Chien Wei Publishing Company) came out about the same time as Liu Ko-hsiang's pioneering bird watching work Notes from Journeys.
以出道早遲及寫作年資為標準來排台灣「自然寫作」的系譜的話，洪素麗應該算是這個重要文類領域裡的前輩。她的《守望的魚》最早的版本（由前衛出版社印行）問世的時間，與劉克襄賞鳥處女作《旅次札記》約莫相同。