Birch Compass
January 2026 — Virginia Nature Journal
What to look for this month near you, with room to record what you find.
This month in nature
Birds to watch
- American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
- Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
In bloom
- In rich Tidewater seeps, the spotted purple hoods of skunk cabbage push up through cold mud, generating their own heat to melt the frost.
In the garden
- A planning week — review last season and order seeds early, including the heat-tolerant tomato varieties Virginia's humid summers demand, before they sell out.
- Brush heavy, wet snow off boxwood and hollies to prevent splaying, and start onions and leeks indoors under lights toward week's end.
Night sky
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in a short, sharp burst around January 3 — watch after midnight from a dark Blue Ridge overlook on Skyline Drive.
- 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 blazes around Sirius after dark — a fine week for the Orion Nebula in binoculars from a dark Eastern Shore field.
My field notes