%Winter Nature Almanac - January 2020

birds_cardinal_dark-eyed_junco — A male Cardinal and sparrows eat at my feeders in winter.

Here in Philadelphia…

This winter nature almanac has nature journal activity and nature journal prompts.

It is cold but not as cold as it usually is. The days are clear and cold or overcast and cold. Sometimes it rains. But, snow? We haven’t seen and accumulation at all this season.

It is too cold to stay outside for very long. As I walk to my car in my driveway, I see many plants and other objects I want to draw. I spied an egg case suspended from my blueberry bush that I want to examine.

I see people’s winter photos online and hope I get to take a snow scene this season. But then I look at the bright sunshine and think fat chance.

Is there any particular thing you want to observe? Let me know in the comments down below.

Did You Know?

In the Old Farmer’s Almanac the right hand calendar pages note the dates when the moon rides low and high.

When the Moon rides high…

“the date of the high begins the most likely 5-day period of earthquakes in the northern hemisphere… The moon rides high on January 10, 2020.

When the Moon rides low…

the date of the low indicates a similar 5-day period in the southern hemisphere (when earthquakes are likely)” – The moon rides low January 22, 2020.

When the Moon is over the equator…

“two the days each month when the Moon is at the equator, indicating the most likely time for earthquakes in either hemisphere.” The moon is at the equator January 2^nd , 16^th, and 30^th.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2020, p. 118

See the [amazon_textlink asin=’1571988149′ text=’The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2020′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’connectingw0b-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’fdfe66b0-f177-4aba-acd8-dcaf6084d825′] (Amazon.com link) for dates for the rest of 2020.

Winter Nature Almanac: Season Dates

Winter Solstice December 21
Groundhog Day/Imbolc – February 2^nd
^{Spring Equinox – March 19, 2020 at 11:50 p.m. EDT}
Winter last 89 days, 0 hours from the Winter Solstice until the Spring Equinox
January 23^rd – January thaw traditionally begins about now

Winter Nature Almanac: In the Sky This Month

2^nd – First Quarter Moon
10^th – Full Wolf Moon
17^th – Last Quarter Moon
24^th – New Snow Moon

The New moon always rises near sunrise
First Quater near noon
Full Moon always rises near sunset
Winter Full Moons are high in the sky
Last Quarter near midnight
Moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day

sky_circumpolar stars — Circumpolar stars in the night sky.

Winter Nature Almanac: Winter Constellations

Circumpolar Constellations (from latitude 40 degrees N
Ursa Minor
Ursa Major
Camelopardalis
Cassiopeia
Cepheus
Draco
Winter Constellations in the Evening Sky
Northern Sky	Southern Sky
Pegasus	Cetus
Andromeda	Taurus
Pisces	Orion
Triangulum	Eridanus
Aries	Lepus
Perseus	Canis Major
Auriga	Monoceros
Gemini	Canis Minor
Cancer	Gemini
	Hydra

Best Fishing – When the Moon is between New and Full

January 1-10
January 24 – February 9

Winter Nature Almanac: Birding This Month:

Focus on Winter Birds, the nesting season of Great Horned Owls, Feeder Watching
Barn Owl breeding pairs hold their inventory throughout the winter
Winter Birding and How to Master It
Winter Birds and Winter Food

Winter Nature Almanac: Animals Activity

Black Bear cubs born in January or February
Brown Bears females give birth in January or February
Gray Whales spring migration along the west coast of the United States (January – June)
Insects in Winter
Hibernation
How Can Moose Stand in Snow and their Feet Not Freeze

Tree bud in winter. Photo by Donna L. Long.

Winter Nature Almanac: Plant Activity

Study Winter Twigs: Nature Journal Activity

Nature Journal Prompts for Winter

Winter Nature Journal

ice covered tree branches — Ice and snow-covered deciduous tree with a blue sky

Articles on Winter from Around the Web

Winter the Coldest Season (Live Science) https://www.livescience.com/25124-winter.html

Was this forecast accurate? Winter Winter Outlook: Warmer than average for many, wetter in the North

https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/winter-outlook-warmer-than-average-for-many-wetter-in-north

Winter Weather Terms https://www.weather.gov/otx/Glossary_of_Weather_Terms

Winter Citizen Science Events

Journey North

Project FeederWatch

Christmas Bird Count

Project Budburst (year-round)

In the cold of January, spring seems a long way off. But after the end of this month, comes February 1st and Groundhog day. Which means spring is just around the corner.