Birch Compass
January 2026 — Pennsylvania 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
- American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
In bloom
- Skunk cabbage begins pushing its mottled hoods through frozen mud in wet woods and seeps, generating its own heat — the first stirring of spring.
In the garden
- A planning week — review last season and order seeds early, before the popular short-season varieties for the northern tier sell out.
- Brush heavy, wet snow off arborvitae and hemlocks to prevent breakage, and start onions and leeks indoors under lights toward week's end.
- Start the slowest seedlings — onions, leeks, and celery — under grow lights, and finish ordering seeds for the season ahead.
Night sky
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in a short, sharp burst around January 3 — watch after midnight from a dark plateau like Cherry Springs State Park.
- Orion dominates the southern sky, his belt pointing down to brilliant Sirius low in the southeast — the cold, dry air gives crystal-clear viewing.
- The Winter Hexagon and the Pleiades cluster blaze through the long, frigid nights, with the Orion Nebula a misty glow in binoculars.
My field notes