Compared to my experiences at home in New England, Madrid is pretty warm. Even though it's January, the temperature during the day is usually around 45-55 degrees! At night, it can lower to about 25-35 degrees. Madrid is very sunny, and only rains every once and a while. Snow is rare.
Because I live in the city center, I don't often see any animals other than birds or pet dogs. I see magpies pretty often, which are a type of bird that I've never seen at home in the US. They're a bit smaller than crows but are just as smart. They've got black feathers, a white underbelly and sometimes have blue feathers on their wings.
I visited Retiro Park (one of the largest parks in Madrid) with my friend Zoe a couple of days ago. We visited Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez (the Gardens of Cecilio Rodríguez), which include a number of free-range peacocks! They would get really close to us while looking for food!
