Birch Compass
January 2026 — Ohio 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
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
- Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
In bloom
A quiet month here — watch and note what you find.
In the garden
- A planning week — review last season and order seeds early, before the popular short-season varieties sell out.
- The safest window to prune oaks is now, while they're dormant and beetles inactive; prune apple and pear trees on a mild day.
- Set up the grow-light shelf and start the slowest seedlings — onions, leeks, and celery — for transplants you'll set out in spring.
Night sky
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in a short, sharp burst around January 3 — watch the northeast after midnight from a dark site like the Hocking Hills.
- 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.
- The Winter Hexagon of bright stars — Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel — sprawls across the long, dark January sky.
My field notes