The winter season at Valentine can be quite brutal. This year, there were days when there were frigid temperatures below zero. Other days were those where the high temperature in the state occurred at the heart city. Then there was a record-setting snow fall in the latter days of the month.
Birds react to these environmental conditions. On warm days there were robins and perhaps some Eastern Bluebird to notice. Otherwise the species during the month were mostly year-round residents. Especially enjoyed was the once and again voice of the diminutive Red-breasted Nuthatch. The lovely sound of the White-breasted Nuthatch can be heard nearly each day amidst the nature on the north side of the Valentine Mill Pond.
A short distance east of the town setting, a group of Trumpeter Swan found that a space just north of the Borman Bridge was a suitable place to linger, and therefore seen. There are a few American Crow which have been spending the winter, with three or four seen one day or another as they flew about looking for an edible morsel.
One significant difference was the occurrence of the Belted Kingfisher. There were several records in January 2016, but only one known occurrence in 2017. Habitat conditions were similar during both of these months, with open water predominant and no difference in arboreal places that could be used as places to watch for suitable prey in the flowing waters.
Canada Goose occur in this area throughout the area, with many present on the Niobrara River as can be seen from the Highway 20 bridges. The gesse, as well as the smaller-sized Cackling Goose can, on occasion, be seen flying northward amidst larger-sized geese. There have been no authoritative counts of the numbers of geese present on the river during winter. Mallard could be seen on Minnechaduza Creek (which should actually be Minichaduza) eastward of the dam at the mill pond. Notable this year, were two Ring-necked Duck in the early days of the month floating on the creek waters. They were a new addition to the list of local avifauna. As the days of the month were waning, the vivid voice of the Great Horned Owl could be heard by those with an ear attuned to sound of the night. Another addition to the local bird list was a Great Grey Shrike, seen sitting atop a tree in the northeast extent of the Valentine Mill Pond. To see this bird again on the day of the Polar Bear Festival at Meadville was simply another sighting to particularly enjoy!
There is then the Townsend's Solitaire, a winter presence. One was seen atop a tree in Valentine. One was also seen elsewhere in habitat along the River Road westward of Meadville, during that polar bear festival Saturday.
With snow prevalent on the ground, places where there was no snow cover, attracted Horned Larks, which are ground foragers. Bunches of these birds were seen along a street within Valentine, following a multi-inch snowfall, and then once again along the Cowboy Trail with town. They needed ground without snow to forage. While going to the Niobrara River Polar Bear Festival there were many hundreds along the shoulder of Highway 12 where the snow had been plowed away from the highway by the roads department. The birds dealt with disturbances - once and again - due to traffic, as they strived to find their essentials to survive.
The tally for this month was 34 particular species. This compares to 30 species in 2016 when there are records available for seven days, with no information available for outlier places such as the Niobrara River adjacent to Borman Bridge WMA or along the highway east of town.
| Common Name | 6 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
| Canada Goose | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 850 | 725 | - - | - - | - - |
| Cackling Goose | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
| Trumpeter Swan | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 5 | - - |
| Mallard | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - - | 2 | 3 | 5 | - - | 2 |
| Ring-necked Duck | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Red-tailed Hawk | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| Rock Dove | - - | 45 | - - | - - | 30 | - - | 20 | - - | - - | - - |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 2 | 19 | 7 | 9 | - - | - - | 18 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Great Horned Owl | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 |
| Belted Kingfisher | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | 1 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | - - | 2 | 2 | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 2 | 1 | - - |
| Northern Flicker | - - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 2 |
| Great Grey Shrike | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Blue Jay | 2 | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | 1 |
| American Crow | 3 | - - | 1 | 2 | - - | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - - |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - - | - - | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Horned Lark | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 18 | 90 | - - |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | - - | - - | 4 | 1 | 2 | - - | - - | 2 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | - - | - - | 4 | 4 | - - | 9 |
| Common Starling | - - | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | 11 | 5 | - - | 8 |
| Eastern Bluebird | - - | - - | - - | 9 | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - |
| Townsend's Solitaire | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| American Robin | - - | 40 | - - | 1 | 55 | 225 | 80 | 4 | 35 | 17 |
| House Sparrow | 52 | 15 | 38 | 16 | 50 | - - | 39 | 48 | - - | 59 |
| House Finch | 3 | 2 | - - | 4 | - - | - - | 4 | 3 | - - | 1 |
| American Goldfinch | 1 | 34 | 29 | 5 | - - | - - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Song Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 26 | - - | 2 | 6 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | - - | 3 |
| Northern Cardinal | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 2 |
By the end of the month as temperatures somewhat moderated, there was some unfrozen water in the channel area of the Valentine Mill Pond, so Canada Goose once again began to congregate. The abbreviated song of the Northern Cardinal could perhaps be heard. The many Eurasian Collared Dove were busy in their seasonal antics in places where they will raise a brood this year.
Every day was a good day this month to enjoy the wildbirds. Hither and yon they are prevalent as either heard or seen. Notes were kept on one day or another, while the bird life is a daily event to enjoy at any time.