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 and The Community Mercantile in Lawrence.
Frost on Inside of Lodge Moon: January
Another name for this moon according to the Osage Indians of the area is Moon Stands Alone, which considering how cold it can be, makes sense as well. This is an excellent time of year to observe wildlife, though–because of the lack of leaves, the presence of snow or mud for leaving tracks in, and the tendency of many animals to move around in flocks and packs, Overwintering birds of many species gather into winter flocks, perched raptors looking for food, and the sound if not the sight of geese are regular sights if you spend much time outside.
This month is also a good time to learn different tree species by their buds, limb patterns and bark. It is also a good time to learn about the local geology using books like Rex Buchanan’s Roadside Kansas to determine the ages and names of various shales, sandstones and limestone outcrops along area highway road cuts.
The days are finally starting to lengthen, and winter sunsets are legendary in our part of the country, with the low angle of the sun lighting up the underside of clouds, setting the sky on fire at times. Cirrus clouds can create conditions perfect for sun dogs and other rainbow-like optical effects during the day due to the ice crystals. Blowing snow and clouds from snow showers can also create sun pillars near sunrise and sunset, where the sun becomes encased in a pillar of light caused by the light scattering action of millions of ice crystals.
Kaw Valley Almanac 
Couldn’t get Jupiter to stop jiggling in my binoculars and decided against trying to tie them to something fixed and lined up. Oh well, But can you recommend a short source that describes bird behavior – specifically going from survival to territorial mode? I’m certainly observing birds in pairs lately. Keep in mind that I often tend to be happy seeing what I can without going to too much trouble, It’s at least interesting to me to look for things that I hadn’t thought about before. I appreciate the weekly nudge.
LikeLike
Since Jupiter is almost overhead, I recommend laying on the ground and use the binoculars from that much more stable position–feel free to put down a blanket/yoga mat first! If you can’t stabilize the image enough that way, if you can find a place where you can lean the binoculars against the side of a wall/car top/something stable, pivoting them around from that point of stability, you can usually get it steady enough. Also, most binoculars have a tripod mount screw receiver that will secure it to most camera tripods–a very stable foundation indeed! If you do this, you’ll also notice that the rotation of the earth slowly shifts the image of Jupiter so it drifts out of the field of view. This is considered annoying to many an amateur astronomer; I find it kind of amazing to be able to see it as proof that we are rotating in space!
By being in survival mode, I was referring to the fact that they are tolerating each other’s proximity in the winter flock in order to line up to get food from the bird feeder. When in winter flock mode, they are also much more tolerant of members of their own species instead of driving each other off in a sign of territorial impulse. Another example is, of course, the winter migration flocks where dozens, hundreds, even thousands of the same/similar species gather together for aerodynamic/defense from predators reasons. I read somewhere that a predator hawk is oftentimes disoriented so much by the wall of thousands of birds flying by that they can’t focus on grabbing even one bird.
LikeLike
Hi Ken…thank you for the Almanac. Recently I’ve been hearing a couple of owls in our neighborhood just east of Lawrence High. Several years ago I was able to identify a Great Horned in the neighborhood, but I’m not sure if what I’m hearing now is the Great Horned or maybe a Barred. Can you suggest how I might learn the difference and positively identify who is here now? It’s been almost like clockwork to hear them at 5:40pm and now probably 6:40pm with daylight savings time. Thanks for your help.
LikeLike
Listen to the difference at this website: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/spring/OwlDictionary.html
It has fairly decent recordings of both owls, which can be found elsewhere on the web as well, but this is the one that I usually go to first. Let me know which one it is; both have been found within the city limits of Lawrence before.
LikeLike
Thank you, Ken…very helpful. This year it’s Barred Owls. The “like monkeys” was the ultimate identifier…
LikeLike