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
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 tallgrass prairie grasses, and look for rodent trails in the thatch, which become tunnels when it snows. A dry year means that water becomes 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.
I am an avid follower of the Almanac since moving back to Jefferson County 4 years ago. For the first three years I had a pair of barred owls in my woods, and every evening in the warm months they would hunt in my yard every evening, even bringing their young. This summer I have heard or seen nothing of them at all. This concerned me since when I lived in PA, we lost all the great horned owls, who moved out due to the noise of fracking. There is not that problem here. Another friend who lives 10 miles north of me has also heard no barred owls this summer. Has anyone else experienced this? Of course the owls might have simply changed territory, but seems unlikely since we are near Lake Perry and there is ample habitat, and this property has over 40 acres of woods.
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I have not heard of any reduction of barred owl populations in eastern Kansas, rather my guess is that they seem to be increasing if anything. They do not necessarily stick around after breeding season. You might post your question to the KS Bird listserv or the Kansas Ornithological Society web site (www.ksbirds.org) or their page on facebook. Feel free to post again if you find out anything more or they return, and good luck!
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Saw your wonderful talk on climate change at library tonight and wish to download your handout.
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Sorry for the delay: it is available here online: https://kawvalleyalmanac.com/climate-change-online-resources/ and I keep it updated on a regular basis to make sure the links are still current, adding new resources as I run across the best new ones. If you want to download a copy, just “select” the text on that page, copy it, then paste it into a word processor of your choice and it should keep the clickable links when you do this. Or just bookmark the online link I provided at the beginning of this post and that way you can ensure that you have the latest updated links. Hope this helps!
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