A Phenology for Mid December

southwestern Pennsylvania

Chuck Tague

    Mid December nights are the longest nights of the year.  The coldest nights, however, are yet to come.  What can we look forward to for the rest of the month?

    How about a Full Moon outing?

    The Long Night or Cold Moon, occurs on December 12 at 12:37 p.m. This will be the closest, and largest, Full Moon of 2008, the closest since March 1993.  The Moon will not be this close to Earth again until November 2016.  Hope for clear evenings on December 11 and 12.  On the 12th, the Moon will rise in the east at 4:45 p.m., a few minutes before the sun sets in the west. (4:45 p.m.)

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    The largest Full Moon of the decade is worthy of a celebration and a twilight outing.   Where’s the best place to watch the sun set and the moon rise in December?  Bundle up and head for the strip mines in western Allegheny and northern Washington County.  My spot of choice would be the grassy knob on Donaldson Road just east of Route 980, south of US 22.  There’s a clear view of the west and rolling hills to the east.  As the sun sets, the moon will appear.  Two brilliant evening stars will emerge as the sunlight fades.  Saturn and Venus will be only 11° apart.  The huge moon will quickly clear the horizon and intensify in brilliance.  The moon appears to shrink as it rises but this is an illusion.  What color will the moon be when it first appears?  

    In the bright twilight Short-eared Owls might flit and dip though the strip mines like giant moths among the moon shadows.  Listen to them yip and bark as they cruise over the grass and pounce on meadow voles.  If the sky’s clear, the crepuscular owl’s flight will be visible well past sundown.  Listen in the nearby woods for the trill of an Eastern Screech Owl or the five-note duets of a Great Horned pair.  With imagination you can hear them call, “Who’s awake?  Me, too!”  Honking Canada Geese will fly over.  In the distance you might hear coyotes howl.

    I wish I could be there.  Unfortunately, I’ll have to settle for moon-watching over Florida Bay in The Everglades National Park.

        The earliest sunsets in Pittsburgh this year occur from December 3 through December 11 when the sun sets at 4:53 p.m.  Although the sun will continue to rise later in the mornings, on December 12 it will begin to set later as well.  The longest nights of the year in Pittsburgh occur from December 17 though December 24.  During this time there is 14 hours and 43 minutes between sun set and sun rise.  On December 25 we gain one minute of daylight, a small but welcome Christmas present.  It’s not the one minute that’s so important; it’s the trend.  The periods of day light will increase steadily until June.

   Winter officially begins with the Winter Solstice at 7:04 a.m. on December 21.  Celebrate the solstice with a walk in the woods.  Look for signs of the spring to come: tree buds, evergreen ferns, animal tracks, beaver lodges, milkweed pods, birch seeds scattered like pepper on the snow.  See how many wildflowers you can identify from last summer’s stalks.   

   

  

   It’s shaping up to be an excellent winter for northern finches.  Pine Siskins continue in good numbers and White-winged Crossbill sightings are increasing in Pennsylvania.  Common Redpolls are also being spotted.  Keep your feeders full and your eyes open on your wanderings.  Review recordings of flight calls and songs of crossbills and siskins.  I wonder, will any Evening Grosbreaks turn up?

    December is a great time to visit Cook Forest and walk among the old hemlocks and White Pines.  You should be rewarded with siskins and crossbills, the perfect adornment for the old growth “Christmas Trees.”

    Scan fields and pastures for Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings.  White-crowned Sparrows are becoming more common in southwestern Pennsylvania.  Check brushy fencerows around farms with flocks of House Sparrows.   Listen for the tinkling calls of American Tree Sparrows.

    Waterfowl migration continues into December.  When the lakes freeze, move your search to the rivers and large creeks.  Learn what ponds are the last to freeze.  The farm ponds along Moody Road off Route 30 in Findlay Township stay open long after nearby lakes and ponds are covered with ice.  The mine drainage settlement pond on Hahn Road, off McMurray Road in Peters township, never freezes.  These two ponds are great places for late ducks.  Cold weather trips to Presque Isle or Pymatuning can be both productive and a challenging adventure.

    Large creeks are likely spots for Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers and other waterbirds in December.

    When ice forms on northern lakes, gulls move south.  The gull population in western Pennsylvania builds through December.  Presque Isle is by far the best gull spot but unusual gulls have turned up in Pittsburgh’s rivers with increasing frequency.  A Black-headed Gull, a European bird, was great find in Moraine State Park.

   

Herring Gull, second cycle

    It’s hard work but you must be familiar with the many plumages of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls to recognize unusual birds when you scrutinize gull flocks.  And scrutinize you must.  Look for the yellow legs of loafing Lesser Black-back Gulls and the dark underwings of Little Gulls in flight.  All white wings indicate a Glaucous or Iceland Gull.  Great Black-backed Gulls are very large and unusual away from Presque Isle.  View the various gull plumages on my photo gallery.

    December is a good time to search for raptors.  Pymatuning is a good place for Rough-legged Hawks, although you may find one kiting over any open field.  I haven’t heard of any Snowy Owls yet.  Maybe one will show up for the Christmas Bird Counts.

    It is time to sign up for Christmas Bird Counts.  This year the 109th annual CBC runs from December 14, 2008 through January 5, 2009.  Western Pennsylvania has many counts to chose from.  There’s a list in the recent Pennsylvania Ornithological Society newsletter.  I especially enjoy going out before dawn to count owls.  If you do go owling, read this article in the Nature Observer archives to find out why you should wear a hat.

   Look for my next phenology in early January, although I will continue to write blogs and add photo essays.   By January, the daylight hours will begin to lengthen ever so slowly. You probably won’t notice at first, but the songbirds will.

    Keep warm, celebrate the solstice and have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Please email me with comments, or if you would like directions to any of the birding spot I mentioned.

Chuck Tague  - kingrail@mac.com

*Kate St. John includes a summary of my phenology in her fine blog, Outside My Window.

Don’t miss Will Trout’s latest installment of the Dimsdale Chronicles.