Northern Shrike hacks up a pellet of bones while students spectate

North Star Elementary School in Virginia

“This is Porter, Asher, Austin, Haley, Ellie, Payton, Emma with a report from North Star Elementary on Nov. 14, 2025.
“Many of us were able to get outside and enjoy the Northern Lights show on the evening of Nov. 12. It was an amazing display!
“We have some ice reports for you. As of Nov. 13:

• Ellis reported that Sand Lake in Britt has some ice forming along the shoreline. The water is frozen a couple feet from the shore out into the lake.
• Xander noticed that the ice on Everetts Bay in Lake Vermilion goes out about 20 feet from the shoreline. Two days before, it was only frozen about 5 feet out from the shore.
• Aiden noticed that there is a thin layer of ice around the shore of Lake Esquagama outside of Gilbert.
• Silver Lake in Virginia was approximately 60% covered by a layer of ice that was about 1-2 mm thick on the morning of Nov. 13. An hour later we looked again, and only about 45% of the lake had ice. Later in the afternoon, the ice was only covering about 5% of the lake. The high temperature got up to 47 degrees that day. The wind and sun moved and melted the ice quickly!

“With cold nights and warmer days, we see a lot of fluctuation in the ice on lakes. It’s fun to be able to see it change from day to day.
“As always, keep exploring the great outdoors!”

East Rapids Elementary in Grand Rapids

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 Nov. 8, 2025. My name is Sadie, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“On Monday, Nov. 10, Sigrid noticed that the stream was completely frozen over where she does horseback riding. On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the preschoolers noticed that the puddle in their class spot was frozen over. Last week the puddle was all liquid. They also noticed ice forming on Schmidt Creek, and parts of the stream were completely covered in ice and didn’t break when they threw sticks on it. Other parts of the stream had only sections of ice with liquid water in between. Aurora saw the Aurora Borealis on the night of Nov. 11. The sky was filled with lots of reds and greens and shifting patterns. That night, the Aurora Borealis had a strength defined as G2/moderate. Gavin saw the aurora over his house brightly glowing on Nov. 12. That night the aurora had a strength defined as G4/severe.
“On Tuesday, Nov. 11, Raina in Ms. Beagle’s class found a bristly bellflower that is still flowering! It had a few purple petals still attached. That same day the preschoolers found some red berries on the forest floor, and traced the berries back to a hawkthorn tree. The hawthorn had a few dried red berries still attached.
“On Saturday, Nov. 8, Mrs. Rolfe had 5 grouse in one of her apple trees! That is the most she has seen in one tree. On Sunday, Nov. 9, Ms. Urban saw a Snow Bunting walking on her driveway. On Nov. 11, Aurora noticed a lot of chickadees in her yard, likely getting ready for winter by cacheing food. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Mr. Dover’s class saw a Bald Eagle flying over the orchard.
“On Tuesday, Nov. 11, Ronin in Ms. Young’s class found the skull of a small deer. Pretty soon the class discovered more bones including vertebrae, ribs, leg bones, shoulder blades and a few clumps of fur. Based on the size of the bones, Ms. Young’s class thinks this deer was just born this summer. They think maybe a coyote or a wolf killed it.
“On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the preschoolers found a small caterpillar in the woods! It was curled up under the leaves, but once they put it down, the caterpillar unrolled and started crawling around the ground. They think the caterpillar is looking for a place to hibernate for the winter.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week and be observant!”

Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade

This report is brought to you by Daisy and the students from Northern Lights Community School in Warba and Ethan and the students from Crosslake Community Charter School in Crosslake.

“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on Nov. 11-12, the high temperature was a mostly cloudy 48 degrees with a low of 26. Fortunately, the skies cleared just in time to see the Northern Lights. It was a first for most of us. What a show! The lights were so bright we could see the dancing red and green lights with the naked eye. The colors painted the entire sky. Bill Kochen from the Minnesota Astronomical Society said that the brightness and expanse of the auroras was very unusual.
“We took a break from the Northern Lights to look through the telescope to see the rings of Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy. We couldn’t see much else in the night sky because the Northern Lights were so bright.
“Terrestrial sightings were highlighted by daily visits from otters and muskrats. We also enjoyed watching the squirrels gorge themselves on the birdseed.
“We had a great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Hank, Claire and the students from Rum River Elementary School in Andover.

“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on Nov. 12-14, the high temperature was an unseasonably warm 56 degrees with a low of 24. During the middle of the day, it was warm and sunny enough for a few garter snakes to leave and wander away from their hibernaculum.
“Jackson reported flushing a grouse on the way to class, and we saw chickadees, nuthatches, lots of Blue Jays and chunky squirrels on the feeders. In the woods, we spotted woodpeckers, red squirrels and deer.
“During Fire Building class, we got an up-close look at a muskrat who swam close to shore to eat some water plants. It didn’t seem bothered by us at all.
“Overnight, about an eighth of the lake was covered with a thin layer of ice, quickly melting during the day. Once the temperature drops to normal, it won’t be long before the lake freezes for the winter. It’s been a dry autumn. The lake level was measured at only 1.14 feet. In September, the lake was measured at 1.45 feet. That’s a drop of 21.38%.
“The Northern Lights put on a good show on Thursday night, and our teachers got some great pictures.
“We had a great time exploring nature, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

Little Falls Middle School

“This is Emily and Maegen reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of Nov. 16.
“There were several sightings of Barred Owls this week, including a great video of one catching a small rodent.
“This week we saw and heard both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans.
“One thing we learned this week was that Northern Shrikes produce a pellet similar to owls, to expel bones and hair.
“We are still seeing some Sandhill Cranes around Little Falls, so they have not all left on their migration yet.”
“We have noticed several different bracket fungi, including turkey tails, artist fungi and birch polypore.
“We had our first snow on Nov. 9.
“Most of us were able to get out and see the Northern Lights as it put on quite a show this week. It was a unique week, as more people were sharing pics of the Northern Lights than pics of their deer.
“On the forest floor, we have noticed smaller organisms that stand out, including hair cap moss and British soldier lichen.
“Although they are not a common sight around here, this past week we heard the unmistakable call of a raven.
“A classmate found an owl pellet and picked it apart to find it was filled with chipmunk bones.
“We are seeing large flocks of Wild Turkeys in the fields and moving through the woods
“A fellow student found a huge bald-faced hornet hive that was built on a chair in his deer stand. It was several feet tall.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”

Linwood Elementary School

"Greetings from the fourth-grade phenology team in the Linwood School Forest. This is Mary, Ayla, and James reporting on our observations from the week ending Nov. 15.
“This week, we observed our first snowflakes of the season. It got down below freezing for a few days in a row and we noticed a thin layer of ice on the ponds and lakes.
“We also observed a wild show of the Northern Lights this week. We saw reds, greens, and yellows. We learned that it is caused by storms on the sun reflecting off our atmosphere.
“We also saw that we have some unidentified vines growing up our lilac and our box elder trees. They seem to be wrapping themselves around our tree’s branches and using them for support.
“We also noticed that our black walnut tree is growing dangerously close to a power line in our parking lot.
“We wonder if trees grow bigger in the fall, spring, or all the time?
“That is all from the Linwood School Forest, and remember: There is no place like Linwood!”

What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.

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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).