In most Februaries, The Highlands Voice takes note of Groundhog Day, honoring the putative prognosticator of spring.  According to an article in Scientific American, however, the cute little rodent is lousy at it.  It can predict the coming of spring no better than a coin flip.  

The real prognosticators are birds, particularly the Eastern Bluebird.  While Groundhogs do what they are going to do when they are going to do it, birds use atmospheric conditions to guide their actions.  Because of this, they are much more accurate predictors of spring than are groundhogs.  To see the whole article, go to https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/groundhogs-dont-have-a-clue/