Bears continue roaming around MN, surprising students

Cohasset Elementary School

East Rapids Elementary in Grand Rapids

St. Joe’s in Grand Rapids

"Hi! This is Oliver, and I am Ryan. We are reporting from St. Joseph’s school in Grand Rapids, MN for the week of Oct. 5.
“When we went on our walk with Mr. Latimer on Tuesday, we noticed our red maple is between 25% and 30% colored. The paper birch is around 2% and the red oak is about 55% changed. The ‘potato tree’ - big toothed aspen - is less than 5% colored. We also checked on our tamarack to discover no seasonal change for that so far.
“Many of us thought the highlight of our walk was having a tasty, sour, treat of Allegheny mound ants! Although some of us preferred the bitter taste of the acorn.
“On our walk, we came across a dead critter. We discovered it was a mouse. We know it is a mouse and not a vole because of the size of its ears and tail.
“On our walk we also learned that a white pine has five needles, just like the word white has five letters. We compared those needles to a red pine which has two needles in its bundle.
“Our classmates have made some additional phenology observations over the week. I saw a garter snake slithering in the woods at a disc golf course; I also saw a fox there.
“Ryker heard wolves howling on Tuesday night.
“Cullen and Archie both heard owls hooting.
“I heard a gray fox yipping and I also saw a flock of Wild Turkeys at my house.
“Hadley heard a bat on Saturday night.
“Canella saw ducks flying south.
“On Monday night, Abram discovered a dead duck on his driveway. He suspects a dog might have grabbed it and gutted it!
“Almost all of us have deer stories that we could share from over this past week. We notice they are starting to become more active.
“Last week, Rozlynn ran into a black bear and her cub on a family hike. They got out of there quickly!!
“Until next time, be observant, responsible, and adventurous outside!!”

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 Oct. 3, 2026. My name is Rain, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“Ella noticed on Monday, Oct. 5 that the mornings have been getting colder. Mrs. Rolfe started wearing light gloves during her morning walks this week. However, during the days though it has been very warm, and on Oct. 7 we had a high of 68 degrees. On Saturday, Oct. 10, there is a forecasted high of 78 degrees!
"On Friday, Oct. 2, Mr. Otten’s class saw a lobster mushroom in the school forest. Saturday, Oct. 3, Nora noticed that there were all sorts of mushrooms growing in her yard. Sunday, Oct. 4, Faye observed that the summer squashes in her garden were growing bigger. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the preschoolers noticed that the large-leaved asters had gone to seed.
"Finn and his family saw about 100 birds in the top of the trees at his house on Saturday, Oct. 4. On Sunday, Oct. 5, Sam saw a huge kettle of Turkey Vultures migrating. On Monday, Oct. 4, Mrs. Rolfe’s neighbor saw a Wild Turkey hen with four poults on Homestead Road. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Ms. Young’s class saw a Lapland Longspur in the field by the big kids’ playground. They got really close and the longspur didn’t care. Later they saw a flock of Snow Geese. On Sunday, Oct. 4, Sorin saw a Bald Eagle eating a dead badger on the left side of Lismore Road. Wednesday, Oct. 7, Astrid saw a flock of geese flying south.
“Sunday, Oct. 4, Nora saw several deer in the ditch near her house. On Thursday, Leela saw a bobcat at her house! Friday, Oct. 9, Mrs. Rolfe saw a Virginia opossum near the Berquist Road. It was her first time seeing one. On Thursday, Oct. 8, Ms. Lorbiecki saw a black bear walk right in front of her while she was hiking at Hartley. They must not be hibernating yet.
"Mrs. Rolfe saw many Asian beetles on her house on Tuesday Oct. 6, when she got home from school. On Thursday, Oct. 8, Mrs. Rolfe’s class noticed several dragonflies zooming around the playground during their EE class. Ms. Urban, our Environmental Educator, informed us that they are also migrating right now. Later in the afternoon, Mrs. Rolfe saw a question mark butterfly at her house.
“This concludes the Phenology Report. Have a great week and be observant!”

Bay View Elementary in Duluth

“Good morning my name is Lexi and my name is Riley and this is our report for the week of Oct. 5, 2026, from Bay View Elementary School.”
“Temperatures in the 30s?”
“Yes.”
“Warming up to the 40s?”
“For sure.”
“Into the 50s?”
“And beyond!”
“60s?”
“Yep.”
“70s?”
“Keep going.”
“80s?”
“Yes, we saw temperatures last week in our school forest almost go below 30 degrees and we went above 80. A fifty-degree temperature swing. Not a record. Some areas of the state have recorded 100-degree temperature swings in a single week.”
“In our school forest this week, a couple of classes came across red-bellied snakes out sunning themselves on the trails. We had heard that they would at times play dead, and we were hoping they would, but they only tried to slither away. They are a surprisingly small creature.”
“We also harvested a sunflower from our school garden. The head was quite large, and as we dusted away the flower we saw rows and rows of sunflower seeds. While some of us have seen sunflowers with seeds, many of us found it exciting seeing it for the first time.”
“This concludes our report from the western edge of the forested Duluth hillside. Be Aware. Things are happening out there.”

Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade

This report is brought to you by Jo and Elyza from Waconia Middle School - purple group.

“During our trip from Oct. 5-7, we had nearly perfect autumn weather with low temperatures of 39 degrees and a high of 76.
“We estimate that we are about 75% of the way to peak autumn color. Much of the maples, aspens and birch have turned and are dropping their red, yellow and orange leaves. The oaks are taking their turn, with their rusty colors just starting to pop.
“One of the highlights was seeing a BIG beaver walking through campus and hauling a small tree to the lake. He didn’t seem too bothered by all of us kids. Pretty cool.
“We also spotted a bee and a monarch butterfly. That’s pretty late in the season to be seeing them.
“There were lots and lots of garter snake sightings. One was spotted on the path, another was swimming in the lake, a few more were slithering in the woods and near their hibernaculum. They are definitely on the move.
“Other sightings included a Pileated Woodpecker, a blue-spotted salamander, lots and lots of ladybugs, a small wooly bear caterpillar, a centipede under a fallen tree, a flock of juncos, busy squirrels and chipmunks, coyote scat, bunnies, a BIG fisher spider in the woods that we named “birch”, a plump slug, a variety of mushrooms including a puff ball, a stink bug, and a milkweed plant that had burst open, releasing its seeds.
“At night we heard the song of the Barred Owl.
“Autumn is a great time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

This report is brought to you by Lucas, Lucy and the students from Waconia Middle School - Gold Group.

“During our trip from Oct. 7-9, the low temp was 35 degrees and the high was 65.
“Nature put on a great show, with the beavers taking center stage. They were seen on the lake and near the shore where they swatted their tails at us in warning. What was really fun was seeing the beavers multiple times on campus, chewing down small trees and hauling them to their lodge. We counted at least four trees that they felled. They sure work fast.
“Other nature sightings included an autumn meadowhawk dragonfly, three blue-spotted salamanders, garter snakes, a redbelly snake, a blue slug (among many slugs), very active chipmunks, a hornet in a rotting log, an oak rough bullet gall, dog slime vomit mold, and many varieties of mushrooms, including pheasant back, turkey tail, false turkey tail, purple turkey tail, artist’s conk, hen of the woods, amethyst deceiver, and a golden scalycap with bite marks.
“We estimate that the leaves are about 80% to peak color and about 10% have fallen, making for crunchy walks in the woods. In the bog, the tamarack needles are about 25% yellow/gold, and some needles are starting to drop.
“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 Aria and Briyell reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of Oct. 11.
“There were a few new sparrow sightings this week, as we have had White-throated, Lincoln’s, and Swamp Sparrows in our area.
“One of the things that stands out in the woods are the bright green leaves of the wild ginger plant.
Most of the goldenrods have gone to seeds, and a few milkweed seed pods are starting to open up.
“We are seeing several different mushrooms, and some of the unique ones have been the shaggy parasol, plums and custard, shaggy scalecaps and jelly fungus.
“A classmate saw a monarch on Oct. 6, and we also had a painted lady sighting.
“The trails through the woods are covered with a carpet of acorns and oak leaves.
“Mr. Kaddatz spotted juncos on Oct. 7, and thought it seemed early. When he went to write it in his journal, he discovered this was the third time in the past 4 years that the first junco appeared on this date.
“We had a report of Ospreys still in the area, and a HUGE group of Sandhill Cranes was spotted in a field.
“We got some great trail cam video of a group of whitetail bucks that have started sparring already, and we are also seeing more black bear activity.
“The loudest calls in the woods this week came from Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers, along with the unmistakable call of a raven.
“We have also seen a Hermit Thrush, and multiple sighting of Yellow-rumped Warblers.
“The smaller red-legged grasshoppers andred meadowhawks are very common these days.
“Bald-faced hornet hives are starting to appear in trees as the leaves that were covering them start to fall.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”

Rockford Middle School

Contributed

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Cassie Korzendorfer

“Hello, this is Conley, Orrin, Ryder, and Landon from Ms. K’s sixth-grade class at Rockford Middle School. We are reporting on the week of Oct. 1-8.
“We have had warmer weather this week with temperatures in the high 70s and low 40s overnight. Shout out to John Latimer! Thank you for stopping in for a visit and guiding us on a walk in the woods.
“Al, Jose, Jack, and Dylan spotted geese flying in a V shape, possibly migrating to find mild temps and open water. The loons on Indian Lake have taken off for the year. We have sprinkles of blue aster in our school prairie. This is the first season it has bloomed.
"Conley, Ryder,and Savannah have counted endless amounts of boxelder bugs and Asian lady beetles on the southwest side of their homes in search of warmth and shelter.
“Madi is hearing less birds singing in the woods behind her house compared to summer.
“Landon noticed steam fog rising from the pond near his house in the early morning and late evening due to colder temps.
“This is Conley, Orrin, Ryder, and Landon reporting from Rockford, Minnesota. Thank you for listening. We will be back with more phenology findings in November. Bye.”

Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield

Penelope: “Hi, this is Penelope-”
Emory: “And this is Emory-”
Penelope: "And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School-”
Emory: “Way down south in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Penelope: "THE HUMMINGBIRDS HAVE LEFT! We haven’t seen any in the past week.”
Emory: "We still have monarchs, dragon flies and maybe herons.”
Penelope: "We still have Sandhill Cranes and Grace saw an egret in her pond.”
Emory: "Juniper saw a chipmunk and there was a baby mole in a fort at recess.”
Penelope: "I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet and our owls are still calling.”
Emory: "I saw fawns, a doe, and a buck near my house.”
Penelope: "Natalie noticed that the white pines were losing their third-year needles.”
Emory: "It was a big week for Bald Eagles. Autumn saw a Bald Eagle really close to the side of the road. Sam and Letty also reported sightings.”
Emory: " Wagner saw two Bald Eagles fighting.”
Penelope: "They were locking talons in midair…we think they might have been mating.”
Emory: "Ezri found a hurt Downy Woodpecker on her deck, and I found a dead bird on our deck.”
Penelope: "Just a reminder to everyone out there to put UV stickers on their windows to protect the migrating birds.”
Emory: "Noah saw Mourning Doves and several flocks of robins.”
Penelope: "Orion saw some female turkeys on his school bus ride.”
Emory: "A bus ride is a great time to watch for nature.”
Penelope: "This has been Prairie Creek-”
Emory: "One more step along the phenology journey.”

Caledonia High School in Houston County

"Hi, this is Saleen, Sam, Adam, and Mitchell reporting from Caledonia High School in Houston County, MN. On Oct. 6, we noticed:
“Temperatures in the daytime are reaching the 60s, but lows are in the 40s. There has been increased fog lately.
“Almost five miles of a steady stream of blackbirds were observed heading down the Root River valley towards the Mississippi River. Snow Geese were also seen in flocks over the Mississippi River. Squirrels are actively eating and stashing walnuts and hickory nuts. Asian lady beetles are actively trying to get into buildings.
“Showy goldenrod and calico asters are still blooming. Many sugar maples in the valleys are turning brownish-yellow and their leaves are dropping. This might be due to the flooding this fall. With the recent moisture, more mushrooms are being noticed including puffballs.
“The highlight was that flocks of Blue Jays and Cedar Waxwings were noticed this week.
“This has been Saleen, Sam, Adam, and Mitchell reporting from Caledonia High School. ‘Stay wild, stay curious!’”

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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