By Jonathan Shipley I’m writing these lines when it’s -8º outside. I just walked the marsh in the pre-dawn light. It was cold. Quite cold. Bundled up, though, I could make my way on the desolate trails: beneath the empty trees; alongside the frozen ponds; up the hillocks of prairies; down the frozen tumps; through the crystalline landscape towards the car; and back home. And, as I write this (warm now in a sweater, cozy now on the sofa), I think of how cold things can be and

Birding from dawn to dusk, the team spotted 35 species. Highlights included a Rough-legged Hawk at Cherokee Marsh North Unit at dawn, a flock of 10 Bluebirds at Hickory Island, a Harrier and a Northern Shrike far out in the Marsh, and a Kingfisher and Great Blue Heron at School Road Landing at sunset. This year's participants included Jan Axelson, Tim Baker, Marcus Mueller, Barb Noeldner, Paul Noeldner, Brian Schneider, Courtney Woods, and Jim Mand.

The Northern Lights over Cherokee Marsh are beautiful. I walk the paths, stumbling in the dark, looking up; always looking up to see that indescribable cosmic majesty.

A seasonal reminder about opportunities for winter fun in and around Cherokee Marsh: hiking, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, skating, birdwatching, and more.

On a frigid winter’s day, it did happen. I saw a coyote on the trail.

February is a quiet month here at the marsh. That is, until a wind comes.

The marsh is a snowy wasteland. Or is it? I hear Canada geese with their rapturous calls on the Yahara. Even in winter, life abounds.