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NPR's Richard Harris reports that researchers have determined that the way birds navigate is much more complicated than previously believed. Researchers had thought that birds used the stars to navigate and used the Earth's magnetic field as a back-up. New research indicates birds use the stars to get a general sense of where they are going, and the magnetic field to hone in their exact target.

The embattled former GOP chair is in her first year as mayor of Nisswa, with fellow council members making moves to censure her at a meeting in January 2026.

Plus: Legislature considers funding boost to rural cancer care; and migrating birds are keeping birders busy in MN.

Out west, Commentator Bill Harley witnessed the spectacular awaken of hundreds of birds as they rise at dawn in a vast nature preserve. It was a pretty picture, until Bill opened his car door, disturbing the scene to the chagrin of bird watchers.

Last week, retired non-game wildlife biologist Pam Perry joined the KAXE Morning Show to talk all things nature! She and phenologist John Latimer discuss “baby season” in the north woods. Questions like how critters handle mid-summer heat, and why garter snakes have been seen hanging out during their solitary season are addressed.

KAXE Staff Phenologist John Latimer provides his weekly assessment of nature in Northern Minnesota. This is the week of Feb. 13, 2023.

passion for birds

passion for birds

passion for birds

passion for birds

A big part of being a bird is singing, often to attract other birds. Sometimes it's hard to do that amid all the noise in a city, so urban birds are changing their tune.

They are also the only native Minnesota birds in the "perching duck" tribe, which is distinguished by their long, clawed toes — perfect for perching in trees.

After careful study of preserved specimens and observing individual birds in the wild, Dr. Bob Kennedy of the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science has identified a new species of bird. Lina's (LEE-nuhz) sunbird is a brightly colored bird that lives in an isolated region on the Phillipine island of Mindanao (MIN-duh-now). Noah talks with Dr. Kennedy about his expeditions to the Phillipines, and the process of capturing and preparing specimens.

A motion was filed after Bemidji received a letter from Northern Township offering to connect to the city's existing wastewater plant rather than building its own new one.

Andrew Bird makes the kind of music that leaves critics groping for labels. A classically trained violinist, former swing jazz musician and now art rock virtuoso, Bird is one of the most imaginative and distinctive voices making music today. Hear Bird in a full concert, recorded live from Washington, D.C.

Northern Minnesota schools like Grygla and Lake of the Woods face budget shortfalls caused by declining enrollment and insufficient state funding.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth declined to comment on her future plans, despite having previously pledged to abide by the party endorsement.

Travis Zimmerman and his illustrator cousin, Sam Zimmerman, turned one of their grandmother's recorded stories into a book: “How the Birds Got Their Songs."

In May, Charlie Mitchell looks for marsh marigolds, multicolored treetops and migrating birds. No expertise is needed to enjoy nature and phenology — just curiosity!

Birds are everywhere, but the greatest concentration of different birds — the "bird mecca" of America — is not in our great parks, not in our forests, not where you'd suppose. Not at all.