Backyard Almanac: so far, "the dark month" is bright sunny skies and bright moonlit nights

Summary: So far, December is following the pattern set by October and November: quiet and dry, thawing during the day and freezing up overnight. Starting Monday, the dark month earns its nickname with 4:20pm sunsets - the earliest of the year - for about a week. And then ... they start getting later again. Could spring be far behind? It's probably too soon to ask that. Larry also mentioned it's almost Christmas Bird Count time again; you can find a lot of information about the Count and how you can take