Astronomy

Look for the planet Saturn above the Moon on Monday the 26^th, the planet  Jupiter above the Moon on Wednesday the 28^th, and Jupiter to the right of the Moon on  Thursday the 29^th. 

Birds

Some birds, like Eastern Bluebirds, Meadowlarks, Indigo Buntings, and Turkey Vultures,  are present at Afton in the summer but leave in the winter to go farther south. 

Other birds, like Dark-eyed Juncos, Tree Sparrows, and Red-breasted Nuthatches, spend the  summers farther north and spend the winters at Afton, while others like Cedar Waxwings, are  transient at Afton, meaning that they pass through in marauding bands at all times of year  searching for berries and seeds.  

And still other birds, like Bluejays, Northern Cardinals, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and White breasted Nuthatches, are at Afton all year round.

Mammals

Winter snow cover provides a good opportunity to learn to identify tracks. Two  common animals at Afton who leave tracks that are relatively easy to identify are rabbits and  deer. Rabbits’ large hind feet leave large prints that are usually side by side. Their smaller  front paws may either step right next to each other, so that they sometimes blur together  into one track in the snow, or are one slightly in front of the other. The tracks from the hind  feet are about three and a half inches long, and those from the front feet are about one inch  long. Deer tracks are sort of heart-shaped, and two-and-a-half to three inches long.

Trees

The Norway Spruce is not native to the New World, but they are easy to find in the woods at Afton. The bark is reddish-gray in color. Like all spruces they have single needles attached directly to twigs; those of the Norway Spruce are generally less than a half-inch long. The cones are papery and break apart easily, and hang down from branches. The cones  range from two to seven inches long. Red Squirrels and other animals often pick the scales off  the cones to get at the seeds. 

Weather observations 

Here are some weather observations from the Afton State Park area from past years.

Friday, December 23	2020: record snowfall of 8.7 inches
Saturday, December 24	2009: record snowfall of 5.2 inches
Sunday, December 25	2018: bare ground, no snow cover
Monday, December 26	2011: record high of 52°
Tuesday, December 27	1971: record snowfall of 6 inches
Wednesday, December 28	2013: record high of 47°
Thursday, December 29	1999: record high of 53°
Friday, December 30	2004: record high of 51°; 2019: record snowfall of 4.9 inches
Saturday, December 31	2010: freezing rain and light snow
Sunday, January 1	2017: high of 32°
Monday, January 2	1999: record snowfall of 6.1”
Tuesday, January 3	2013: high in 20s
Wednesday, January 4	2014: temperature falls through day from 20s to single digits; 2019: record high of 47°
Thursday, January 5	2019: record high of 47°

Photo/Image credits:

All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:

• Travis Bonovsky, MN Conservation Volunteer: Bluejay 
• Michael Furtman, MN Conservation Volunteer: Dark-eyed Junco 
• Dean Lokken: Meadowlark, Turkey Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch 
• Bill Marchel, Minnesota Conservation Volunteer: Deer, Deer Track 
• Gary Sater: Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Red-Bellied  Woodpecker