Ely Field Naturalists

05/24/2026

Great moose video.
When you're in the right place at the right time ....

04/30/2026

Some great video captured by the VWP cameras.
Finally some documentation of a cougar with kittens to help substantiate speculation that there might well be breeding cougars in Minnesota. There is now this evidence.

03/24/2026

The most recent Minnesota moose population estimate is approximately 4,470 animals, according to the Minnesota DNR’s 2026 population survey. That’s up about 10% from the 2025 state moose population estimate of about 4,040 animals.

Results suggest that after a steep decline from a population estimate of 8,000 in 2009, Minnesota’s moose population appears to have somewhat leveled, fluctuating around 3,700 animals in recent years.

The most recent Minnesota moose population estimate is approximately 4,470 animals, according to the Minnesota DNR’s 2026 population survey.

10/31/2025

One "pretty nice log" along a well used thoroughfare through the forest.

10/09/2025

Bats Catch Migratory Birds and Eat Them in Midair
• For the first time, scientists documented direct evidence of a bat preying on a bird at high altitude.
• In a paper published in the journal Science, researchers detailed how the largest bat in Europe, the greater noctule bat, nabbed a European robin, before chewing and eating the prey in flight. This stands in stark contrast to the bats’ typical diet of insects.
• While bats are best known for hunting insects, some larger species can occasionally prey on frogs, lizards and fish. Tropical bats have also been known to snack on perching songbirds.

For the first time, scientists documented direct evidence of a bat preying on a bird at high altitude.

08/09/2025

Watch these 3 minutes of Hummingbirds, the parent and the tiny babies.