January kicks off with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower lighting up the night sky. Meanwhile, painted turtles hibernate beneath frozen lakes and ponds, breathing through their cloacal skin and occasionally swimming slowly under the ice in search of warmer pockets of water. White-tailed deer continue to subsist on limited food sources like tree bark, twigs, and lichen, patiently awaiting spring’s more abundant vegetation. Goldfinches, though year-round residents, can be harder to recognize as males trade their bright yellow plumage for a subdued gray-green.

Mid-January brings a mix of activity and rest for wildlife. Chipmunks awaken briefly from their winter torpor to snack on stored food before retreating back to their burrows. The full Wolf Moon illuminates the landscape on the 13th, and red squirrels stay active, guarding their winter caches of seeds and nuts. Great-horned Owls, in the heart of their breeding season, call to one another in courtship and territorial displays.

As the month winds down, more signs of life appear. Wintering Eastern Towhees scratch around beneath the brush, their bright red eyes and orange-sided bellies adding flashes of color to an otherwise muted winter. Tiny snow fleas—not actual fleas!—speckle and jump in the snow. These remarkable decomposers stay active thanks to a natural antifreeze in their bodies.

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Goldfinch winter plumage photo by Paul Danese – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0