This week brings eight reports from throughout the state.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your observations, nature tales and insights! Get in touch with me (cmitchell@kaxe.org), John Latimer (jlatimer@kaxe.org), or text "phenology" to 218-326-1234.
Prairie Creek Community School near Northfield
Andrew: "Hi, this is Andrew...”
Sebastian: "...And this is Sebastian."
Andrew: "And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School, way down south in Northfield, Minnesota."
Sebastian: "Whoo has it been a busy week here in Northfield!”
Andrew: "It sure has! We’ll start with the raptors."
Sebastian: "Ann saw ten Bald Eagles feasting on a dead deer on an island in the Cannon River when they went for a canoe ride."
Andrew: "Viggo saw two Pileated Woodpeckers together. Then a third bird came in – it was a Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk swooped down and scared away the woodpeckers and then went on its way.”
Sebastian: "A hawk swooped down on our classmate Arlo, too! It was so close he could see its eyes."
Andrew: "Woah! Viggo also saw a Cooper’s Hawk and Michelle saw a kestrel on a telephone wire."
Sebastian: "Let’s move on to the cranes! Our whole class heard and saw Sandhill Cranes on March 6. There were four of them calling to each other and they were very high up."
Andrew: "Viggo saw two cranes together in a field."
Sebastian: "Sophia heard some Sandhill Cranes but Arick was actually woken up by them!”
Andrew: "We’ve been hearing a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds, too – although when we went down to our nearest wetland, they were nowhere to be found."
Sebastian: "That’s how it goes sometimes. A lot of us have been hearing cardinals and robins. Michelle also saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Ann saw a lot of kingfishers, too."
Andrew: "We have some insect sightings, too. Kaia has been seeing flies in her house. The outside of Maysoon’s house was covered in box elder bugs and a lot of us have been swatting away the gnats."
Sebastian: "And we have some mammals to report, too. Fatima saw a baby squirrel. We’re wondering if that’s early for babies."
Andrew: "Jaxon and Michelle both saw (and smelled) skunk roadkill.”
Sebastian: "We have a few plant sightings. The squill is up but not flowering. And the crocuses and tulips are starting to push their way up, too."
Andrew: "The temperature has been see-sawing around, but it’s been quite dry."
Sebastian: "We have to be really careful with fires right now, that’s for sure."
Andrew: "This has been Prairie Creek."
Sebastian: "One more step along the phenology journey."
Little Falls Community Middle School
“This is Rose and Katie reporting from Mr. Kaddatz’s class in Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of March 10.
“On March 3, the Mississippi River was ice free in several spots.
“Several of our classmates have been using the Merlin bird app to ID bird calls. We have a lot of the regular bird songs (cardinals, chickadees, Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches, House Sparrows, House Finches, Purple Finches, goldfinches, juncos, Pine Siskins and now robins), but also some unique finds - a Tufted Titmouse and a Red Crossbill were recorded this week.
“Our first Sandhill Cranes, American Kestrels, and Eastern Bluebirds were spotted this past week.
“We had sightings of a Northern Harrier, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and several Bald Eagles this week.
“A Barred Owl was heard calling at 1:00 in afternoon on Saturday… Daytime activity is apparently not as unusual as we first thought.
“Several bald-faced hornet nests were spotted on the ground in the woods, but only the inner nest remains, the outer covering has either broken down or blown away.
“A pair of chipmunks was spotted running up and down a tree at Lindbergh State Park.
“The fuzzy aspen catkins are becoming large and noticeable.
“A high percentage of milkweed plants are still holding their seeds in their pods.
“A classmate found a honeybee on her driveway. It may have ventured out of its hive, but then been caught out in the cooler temps.
“That is our report for this week. Until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Eh Htoo, Chelsy and the students from Sejong Academy in St. Paul. Sejong is a Korean language immersion school.
“During our outdoor school trip to Long Lake Conservation Center March 4-6, the low temperature was 12 degrees and the high temperature was 44 degrees.
“Our group saw a lot of whitetail deer, including a group of eight by the bird feeders. Chipmunks were spotted out and about, along with squirrels, and a porcupine napping in a red oak.
“The chickadees were singing loudly, particularly in the morning. A pair of Trumpeter Swans was seen and heard flying southwest. They were REALLY loud. Now we understand why they are called Trumpeter Swans.
“We had clear skies and the constellations we saw were Orion, the Big Dipper and the Seven Sisters. We learned that cultures view the night sky differently and have their own constellations. Stars are very far away, so they appear to twinkle, but planets are much closer, so they are a steady point of light.
“The thickness of the ice was measured at only 4 inches on Monday… less, close to the shore. The east end of Long Lake was open water on Monday, but refroze overnight. There is more and more open water around the beaver lodge every day.
“We are happy to say that our group did NOT encounter any ticks.
“It was a great week in nature, and we want to remind everyone to bakk-e nagaseo jayeon-eul jeulgyeoboseyo (go outside and enjoy nature). Unplug, get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!”
North Shore Community School near Duluth
“Hello from North Shore Community School on the North Shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the week of March 2, 2024. My name is Penny, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“As of Sunday, March 3, the total snow depth is 0 inches in Duluth. On this day last year, Duluth had a 30-inch snow depth and there had been a 99.5-inch snow depth recorded for last season. So far this year, only 18.7 inches of snowfall/snowpack has been recorded.
“As of Tuesday, March 5, Lake Superior ice coverage stood at only 2%. The peak ice coverage was 11.9 % at the end of February. Usually, the ice coverage is at about 50%, on average, this time of year!
“On March 7, Ms. Jackson’s class went out to the woods to record phenology. The temperature felt so warm to them, that many students only wore sweatshirts and no jackets. The temperature was 42 degrees!
“On Monday, March 4th Ms. Urban saw a flock of seven Snow Buntings flying around near the big kids' playground. On Thursday, March 7, she heard a kinglet chirping in the forest, but wasn’t able to locate it.
“Classes are busy tapping maple trees this week in our school forest. A tree Ms. Jackson’s class tapped on Wednesday, March 6, began dripping with sap immediately! Students got to taste a few drops as it dripped from the spile. The next day, on March 7, the two trees that Ms. Jackson's class had tapped collected roughly a quarter-gallon of sap. Mrs. Rolfe’s class tapped two trees in our forest on Thursday, March 7, and also got to enjoy the first drops of sap right from the spile. Ms. Rademacher’s third-grade class collected their sap on Thursday, March 7, and their tree had produced 2 gallons of sap in one day. Talk about a waterfall!
“On Tuesday, March 5, Ms. Rademacher’s class saw a grouse high up in the branches of an aspen tree. They noticed the buds had burst on a few of the aspen trees by the septic mound, and their fluffy buds were easy to see in the morning sunlight.
“Mrs. Rolfe saw her first black fly of the year on Tuesday, March 5 between her window and the screen in her house. She opened the window to let it out.
“Don’t forget that on Sunday, March 10 we start Daylight Savings Time, and we spring ahead an hour!
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week and be observant!”
Lake of the Woods School in Baudette
“This is Wyatt with the phenology report from Baudette for March 2-8.
“On Sunday afternoon, Aurora reported seeing the first Canada Geese of the season flying overhead. Many students also saw a pair of Canada Geese fly over the playground during recess on Wednesday.
“On Tuesday, Mr. Birchem reported seeing a Northern Harrier.
Finally, on Wednesday, Melody’s grandma saw a confused chipmunk and Evanna also reported seeing a chipmunk near her home on Thursday.”
West Rapids Elementary School in Grand Rapids
“From Mr. Cody’s fifth-grade classroom, this is Warren. We spent Tuesday afternoon checking on our tree buds. Most trees hadn’t started bud break. The beaked hazel, though, was our surprise of the day: bud break!
“The butternut had sweet liquid coming out of two branches. We also found a balsam poplar with buds that weren’t sticky yet: not quite producing Balm of Gilead.”
“We found chickadees and a mystery spider.
“The creek was falling nicely. Looks good with little shelf ice.
“On our way back, we saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Nice. All for now! -Warren”
Judd Brink from the Sax-Zim Bog
“The mild weather continues in the bog, with high temperatures near 50 degrees. My first of the year American Robin was observed on March 10!
“Other sightings included a House Finch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Common Raven, and a Northern Harrier.
“Some Bald Eagles were seen, both in migration and one pair at a nest site.
“We also saw ten Rough-legged Hawks (mostly dark morphs), a Great Gray Owl, a Northern Hawk Owl and a Barred Owl.
“Other birds were a Wild Turkey, Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Ruffed Grouse, Evening Grosbeak, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and American Tree Sparrow.
“A Black-billed Magpie was spotted building a nest. Happy Birding!”
"Happy Birding!"
KAXE-KBXE Season Watch Facebook Group highlights
Some highlights from the KAXE-KBXE Season Watch Facebook Group included:
- Joe Schoneberger observed a red fox digging out a den in the side of a hill.
- Dallas Hudson saw the first Sandhill Crane of the year near Akeley.
- Elias Anoszko reported that the tag alder started releasing pollen on March 7 in Lincoln County, Wisconsin.
- John Guida saw his first Eastern Bluebird of the year near Nisswa.
- Allison Barta reported the first Compton’s tortoiseshell butterfly on Feb. 26, followed by two more March 11. Her previous earliest record was March 17, 2012.
- Erikka Elizabeth found a honeybee north of Grand Rapids.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
