Astronomy
In the early morning on Sunday the 4th look toward the Big Dipper in the northern part of the sky for the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. The 4th is the peak day but the shower persists for several more days, so keep getting up early to check for shooting stars! The planet Saturn is in the eastern sky at nightfall, halfway to directly overhead. The planet Jupiter rises in the early evening, and will reach opposition on January 10th. A planet is at opposition when it rises in the east at about the time the sun sets in the west, and sets in the west about when the sun rises in the east. Jupiter at opposition is the brightest it will be for the whole year, so don’t miss taking a look at it!
Saturday the 3rd is the Full Wolf Moon. It got its name because wolves are often heard howling in January as they search for prey.
Birds
In the fall and winter bald eagles follow open water south, with many wintering along rivers in the Mississippi system, including the St. Croix. Look for them perched on trees along the river, or standing on the ice looking into open water for fish.
If you’re out walking in the evening or very early morning, you might hear Great Horned Owls! At this time of year they “duet hoot” to establish territories and pair bonds, and will soon be nesting. They nest earlier in the year than any other bird in Minnesota, and will have eggs in the nest by mid-February.
Mammals
Raccoons and opossums are not true hibernators but are active on mild days. The opossum photo here was taken in January of 2008, when the opossum was foraging beneath a bird feeder at the Afton State Park Visitor Center. Opossum and raccoon tracks both look like little hands. Opossum tracks are easy to distinguish because the outer toes on both feet splay outward, and there is often a line between the tracks made by the opossum’s tail dragging on the ground. The hind feet of opossums are about two inches long, and the front feet are about one and a half inches long. Raccoon tracks will usually have the track of the right front foot next to that of the left hind foot, and the track of the left front foot next to the right hind foot. The hind feet of raccoons are about four inches long, and the front feet about two and a half inches long, which is quite a bit longer than the feet of the opossum.
Some buck deer may still have antlers, but most will drop them sometime in January. You might see a buck with only one antler, and you might see the dropped antlers, which are called “sheds” when you’re hiking or skiing at Afton. Just when deer will drop their antlers depends on lots of things, including weather. The reason antlers don’t pile up everywhere in the woods is that other animals eat them! Chipmunks, squirrels, mice, and even porcupines all eat shed antlers, which are an important source of calcium, phosphorous, and other minerals.
Insects
Remember the Monarch butterflies that left Minnesota last August and September to go south? Those that survived the 3,000 mile journey are spending the winter in the Oyamel Fir Forests of Mexico. They’ll stay there until mid-March.
Trees
And remember the golden-yellow leaves of American Basswood trees in the fall? Those leaves have all dropped. But if you are out hiking you may still be able to identify a basswood tree by its bark, and by the reddish-colored buds on its twigs. The buds are quite prominent and provide a splash of color in the winter landscape. Red squirrels who eat all the conifer seeds they’ve stored up in their middens may snack on basswood buds during the winter. They’re said to be quite sweet and tasty.
Weather observations
Here are some weather observations from the Afton State Park area from past years.
| Friday, January 2 | 1999: record snowfall of 6.1” |
| Saturday, January 3 | 2013: high in 20s |
| Sunday, January 4 | 2023: record snowfall of 8.4 inches; 2019: record high of 47°; 2014: temperature falls through day from 20s to single digits |
| Monday, January 5 | 2019: record high of 47° |
| Tuesday, January 6 | 2014: record low high temperature, in the teens below zero. Low of minus 22° |
| Wednesday, January 7 | 2021: 20s, with rime ice on trees; 2003: record high of 52° |
| Thursday, January 8 | 2025: sunny, calm and cold, in the teens; 2015: record snowfall of 3.0 inches; 2003: record high of 54° |
| Friday, January 9 | 2002 and 2012: record high of 49° |
| Saturday, January 10 | 2025: light snow off and on through day, 20s; 2024: gray in the 20s; 2012: record high of 52° |
| Sunday, January 11 | 2025: gray skies in the 20s; 2018: 2 ½” snow |
| Monday, January 12 | 2024: teens with light snow in afternoon and evening; 2022: partly sunny and in the 40s; 2000: Record snowfall of 8.7” |
| Tuesday, January 13 | 2025: near zero in the morning, sunny early; 2024: About 2” snow overnight; 2022: gray day in the 30s; 2017: 7° below at sunrise |
| Wednesday, January 14 | 2025: cold and clear, single digits; 2022: light snow through the day, very dry; 2019: low 30s in the morning |
| Thursday, January 15 | 2025: cloudy through day, flurries late afternoon; 2022: sunny and in the teens; 2017: high in the 30s and sunny |
Photo/Image credits:
All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:
- Stephen B. Antus Jr., MN Conservation Volunteer: first buck deer with one antler
- Keith Henjum: Raccoon
- Bill Marchel, MN Conservation Volunteer: Antler shed
- Gary Sater: center Bald Eagle, Juvenile Great-Horned Owl; Full Moon
- John Watson, Trail Camera: second buck deer with one antler
- Tammy Wolfe, MN Conservation Volunteer: Great-horned owl and nestling.
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