Birch Compass
January 2026 — Michigan Nature Journal
What to look for this month near you, with room to record what you find.
This month in nature
Birds to watch
- European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
- Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
- American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
In bloom
A quiet month here — watch and note what you find.
In the garden
- A planning week — order seeds early, especially the short-season varieties northern Michigan gardens depend on, before they sell out.
- Leave snow banked over perennial beds as insulation, and gently knock heavy, wet snow off arborvitae and evergreen branches to prevent breakage.
- On a mild day, prune oaks now during their safe dormant window, before the oak-wilt beetles become active in spring.
- Set up the grow-light shelf and start the slowest seedlings — onions, leeks, and celery — for transplants you'll set out in May.
Night sky
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in a short, sharp burst around January 3; watch the northeast after midnight from a dark site away from city lights.
- Orion dominates the southern sky, his belt pointing down to brilliant Sirius low in the southeast — the cold, dry air makes for crystal-clear viewing.
- On the clearest, most active nights, watch the northern horizon from the Keweenaw and Headlands dark-sky parks for the aurora borealis.
My field notes