Birch Compass
January 2026 — Louisiana Nature Journal
What to look for this month near you, with room to record what you find.
This month in nature
Birds to watch
- Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
- Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
- Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
In bloom
- Camellias are at their winter peak in the old yards, and the earliest Japanese magnolia and narcissus open during a warm spell.
In the garden
- Cold frames and the mild lower delta keep collards, mustard, and spinach growing; protect young satsuma and citrus from any hard freeze.
- Prune dormant peach, fig, and muscadine on a mild dry day, and start onions and leeks under lights for an early spring set.
- Across the southern parishes plant English peas, onion sets, and Irish potatoes in warm sheltered beds, and sow sweet pea and larkspur for spring color.
Night sky
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in a short, sharp burst around January 3, best after midnight from the dark, open marshes of the Cameron coast.
- Orion strides high in the south with the Orion Nebula glowing in his sword, and brilliant Sirius blazes below in the Winter Hexagon.
My field notes