It wasn’t frigid. It wasn’t windy, snowing or raining. It wasn’t even cloudy. It was a wonderful morning for a hike. Nine of us left the parking lot along the Beerline Trail on the westside of the Milwaukee River. We soon ducked into the woods for the winding, snowy path with great overviews of the river and the Urban Ecology Center.

eBird List from Feb 5

Red-bellied woodpeckers, mourning doves, cardinals and juncos were the most abundant birds in the woods. Back on the Beerline we could see many house sparrows along the row of back yards.

Our turnaround point was the pedestrian bridge where many rock pigeons flew over. We studied the remains of Ceasar’s Park wading pool to the south. On the river ice looking east a lone coyote searched for something. And looking towards the North Avenue Bridge we could see a number of people ice fishing. All creatures two-legged and four were enjoying a rare sunny day.