December Nature Happenings Central Rockies & Southwest

• Project FeederWatch continues, www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw
• December is our second snowiest month, though dreams of a White Christmas are a 1 in 20 shot.
• Keep water open for birds with a bird bath and heater.
• Great Horned Owls are pairing up this month – listen for their "who" calls.
• This is a great time to teach chickadees and titmice to feed from your hand.
• Decorate a tree for the birds. Pick a tree in the yard and decorate it with edible ornaments for your feathered friends.
• Meadow Voles and Deer Mice disappear into tunnels under a blanket of snow.
• Geminid Meteor Shower is mid-month.
• Christmas Bird Count is this month, birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count
• Robins come in flocks to bird baths.
• Watch for an increasing number of juncos on the ground beneath your seed feeders.
• Provide a blend with enough white millet to satisfy the increase in ground feeding birds like towhees and juncos.
• Duck and geese numbers peak throughout the state.
• Watch for flocks of Cedar Waxwings.
• Feeder activity increases as weather cools and rains arrive.