Ken Lassman has been keeping this almanac for over a decade, He invites you to share your observations and photos in the comments section. You can find his book Wild Douglas County at The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence.
Frost on the Inside of Lodge Moon – January
January is a Roman reference to the god Janus, the god of gates. This god has two faces, one looking forward and the other looking back, as we do at the beginning of a new year. While this sets the tone for this season, the vivid image of frost on the inside of the lodge is equally appropriate, particularly if you notice frost on the inside of your car or house windows on a cold morning. The Osage also called this month Moon that Stands Alone, which speaks for itself if you decide to take a brisk walk in the countryside this time of year.
This is the month when you can see bald eagles flying in the Kaw Valley as well as deer and other wildlife more easily due to the lack of leaves. Listen to the rustle of wind through the drought-shortened tallgrass prairie grasses, and look for rodent trails in the thatch, which become tunnels when it snows. A dry year means that water has become a wildlife concentrator, with more species taking visibility risks to grab a drink in drought-lowered ponds, creeks and rivers that are made even more inaccessible by the presence of ice. Putting out water next to the bird feeders is more important this winter than most for this reason.
Enjoy the deep blues of the sky this time of year, whether it is duplicated in the subtle blues found in freshly fallen snow or not. While admiring the sky and looking for eagles and migratory waterfowl, keep an eye out for sun dogs and other daytime optical treats caused by the presence of ice crystals in the sky that refract and reflect the sun (and moon) light into circles, spots and other geometric forms. After dark, bundle up and enjoy the striking winter star constellations that can take your breath away especially if you know where to look with a pair of binoculars or a telescope.
Kaw Valley Almanac 
The window where I’m working looks out on a small fish pond. There’s a skin of ice on it, but birds find it, sit on the ice which flexes enough to seep water from the edges. My idle question is how do the birds find this pond: I assume 1) random, flying until they see something that looks like water; 2) follow the leader, seeing other birds at the water; I wonder about 3) location memory, from previous trips to this pond. I plug in a heater on occasion to allow fish ammonia to escape during long cold spells. This pond and heated bird baths would seem to be the only sources of free water, so where would the birds have gone without human assistance? (including Bowersock turbines) Do bird counts in particular locations vary significantly within a season according to the availability of water? And of course, what about when it’s all locked up in ice?
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Bert, I suspect that the local avian species know our backyards much better than we do, down to the drippy leaky gutter that is located on the south side of the house next door where the sun creates a little melted water before any other place on the block, or how the edge of your fish pond might shift slightly in the wind, creating a little open water access, etc. Water access definitely changes who is around and where birds hang out, just as does the food supply, but our feathered kin are incredibly astute in finding and accessing both things. Just think about how the nesting territories in coming weeks are going to be staked out: those birds know exactly which bush is included and which branch is contested. If we could see the landscape like a songbird, we’d be blown away.
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