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Season Watch

In praise of BirdCast, a marvel of migration monitoring

By Heidi Holtan,
John Latimer
Published April 15, 2026 at 4:09 PM CDT
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A menacing-looking hawk with bright yellow feet and red eyes perches on a metal bird feeding pole.
Contributed
/
iNaturalist user jdziuk1
A Sharp-shinned Hawk perches over a bird feeder in Milaca on March 27, 2023.

In a special edition of the pod, co-hosts Heidi Holtan, John Latimer, and Pam Perry look forward at a busy spring migration season. Check out Birdcast!

Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!

Spring in Minnesota is intoxicating!

Heidi Holtan (director of public affairs, phenology phan), Pam Perry (wildlife biologist, beloved birder), and John Latimer (staff phenologist, diligent data dork) enthuse about the arrival of sparrows, emergence of bears, and surprising number of birds migrating each night.

In addition, we hear from Prairie Creek Community School, Little Falls Middle School, Baxter Elementary, and community member Simon Grettan.

Attributions

  1. Pam Perry's interview, Simon's interview and the student reports originally aired on KAXE. (Check out how many birds are migrating over your house through Birdcast!)
  2. This episode was produced by Heidi Holtan.

Love the podcast? Have you seen a black bear yet this year? Let us know! Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!

Email us at seasonwatch@kaxe.org.

Tags
Season Watch Season Watch PodcastKAXENorthern MinnesotaPhenologySpring PhenologyPam Perry
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Heidi Holtan
Heidi Holtan has been involved with KAXE since 2002. Now as Director of Content and Public Affairs she manages and is the host of the KAXE Morning Show, including a variety of local content like Phenology, What's for Breakfast, Area Voices, The Sports Page and much more, alongside Morning Edition from NPR. Her latest project is Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen.
See stories by Heidi Holtan
John Latimer
As a mail carrier in rural Grand Rapids, Minn., for 35 years, John Latimer put his own stamp on a career that delivered more than letters. Indeed, while driving the hundred-mile round-trip daily route, he passed the time by observing and recording seasonal changes in nature, learning everything he could about the area’s weather, plants and animals, and becoming the go-to guy who could answer customers’ questions about what they were seeing in the environment.
See stories by John Latimer
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