No Red-throated Loons were on Lake Superior. Two Pacific Loons was a more normal number, after the seven reported last fall. One was on Lake Superior and the other was found by gull-watchers on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

August Horned Grebes were earlier than usual in Minneapolis and along the state's western border. A first county record Red-necked Grebe was found in Traverse. Clark's Grebes continued from the summer season at Thielke Lake in Big Stone County, while two more were seen on Clear Lake in Stevens County.

Two Snowy Egrets were found in the west-central region while an immature Little Blue Heron continued in Olmsted County. Cattle Egrets were reported from only three counties, but included an unusual report in mid-November from Aitkin.

Greater White-fronted and Snow Geese were scarce, but Ross's Geese were found in four counties, including first county records in Lake of the Woods and Chippewa. In general, the migration of waterfowl was late throughout the state. This was probably related to the unusually warm weather in November. Most of these species lingered into the winter period. Diving ducks didn't show up in any numbers in the south until late November. The one exception was the sea ducks

scoters and their allies

whose early and late dates were very close to their recent median arrival and departure dates.

Single King Eiders were found in two different locations. One was in Grand Marais, where it stayed for almost two weeks. The other was shot by a hunter in Chippewa County and identified through the photograph that appeared in the local newspaper! Local birders in Meeker County had an exciting fall when up to three Black Scoters and one or two White-winged Scoters lingered on Lake Ripley. A Long-tailed Duck in nearby Kandiyohi County made central Minnesota the hot spot for sea ducks this fall! There were more reports of these species away from Lake Superior than usual.

The 15^th of September was undeniably a spectacular day for migration at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (HRNR) in Duluth. Peak counts for the entire season were set that day for Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, and Peregrine Falcon (Table 1). The record number of American Kestrels counted this season (2,861 compared to 2,686 in 1993) was also noteworthy. The entire season at HRNR was simply outstanding. Frank Nicoletti, writing in the April 2000 Hawk Ridge Annual Report, says that the 1999 composite total of 128,639 hawks was the second highest since 1972. No fewer than seven species each had totals that were the second highest on record!
Away from Hawk Ridge, two or three Ferruginous Hawks were found in western Minnesota and several Rough-legged Hawks appeared in September. In addition to those counted at HRNR, good numbers of Golden Eagles were reported in seven counties. Unusual was the Prairie Falcon reported from Duluth Twp., St. Louis County, while others from Clay and Hennepin (where one has been wintering recently) were more expected.

There were several reports of late rails. Yellow Rails were discovered in Jackson County during September, and in Cook and Hennepin counties during October. This species is rarely detected in Minnesota as a fall migrant. A Sora in Kandiyohi County on 28 November was unusually late but stay tuned for the winter season!

Regular surveys at Big Stone NWR by Bridget Olson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and excellent habitat at S. Heron Lake in Jackson County produced exceptional counts for several species of shorebirds. Killdeer and Spotted, Least, Pectoral, and Stilt Sandpipers were all found in impressive numbers. Most of the shorebird migration proceeded on a timely basis, with no surprises.

Jaegers made a strong showing this fall. A juvenile Pomarine spent much of September on Lake Superior near downtown Duluth, and another was found on Mille Lacs near the end of November. The latter is only the second Pomarine ever found in Minnesota away from Lake Superior; the first was a November 1996 report of a juvenile on Lake Pepin (The Loon 69:3–6). Two or three Parasitics were off Park Point in mid-September, and one or two more were in Lake and St. Louis counties during mid-October. An unidentified jaeger in Grand Marais in mid-November rounded out the season.

An estimated 30,000 Franklin's Gulls was a staggering number at S. Heron Lake, Jackson County, in late September. The only Little Gull this fall was still in juvenal plumage in early October. Two Black-headed Gulls were found once again at Spirit Lake on the Iowa border, and a California Gull roosted for two weeks on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. There were very few reports of “white-winged” gulls, probably due to the warm November. An immature Black-legged Kittiwake was seen in Grand Marais by observers hoping to refind the seventh state record Ancient Murrelet that had been discovered the previous day. What is particularly noteworthy about the murrelet is that this was the first Minnesota alcid discovered by birders while alive and apparently healthy. All other records refer to specimens birds shot by hunters, picked up exhausted, or found dead.

Four Eurasian Collared-Doves were in Fairmont, Martin County, while others continued in the southwest corner of the state. Its expansion into Minnesota will undoubtedly continue but observers must carefully distinguish this species from the very similar, exotic Ringed Turtle-Dove. Blaine Seeliger's videotape of one of the Fairmont birds as it showed each of its field marks is the best documentation of this species that the records committee has ever seen!

The six Snowy and two Northern Hawk Owls found in November were somewhat surprising considering the mild temperatures and lack of snow cover. Short-eared Owls made a strong showing, with at least four in Duluth and several others reported from the west-central region. The three Boreal Owls banded at HRNR were the only reports of this species.

A late Red-headed Woodpecker was unusual in Mille Lacs County, but most unexpected was the third state record Williamson's Sapsucker at Taconite Harbor in Cook County. There are few extralimital records of this species in the Midwest and most of those are from spring. Unfortunately, the sapsucker was only seen about one minute before it disappeared.

Flycatchers generally departed the state earlier than normal. Readers should note that due to our policy of requiring details for Empidonax flycatchers during migration, we can expect more reports of “empid species.” Late dates over the last few years and into the future will not be comparable to median departure dates developed since 1985 due to the more stringent documentation requirements currently in place.

This fall there were fewer reports of Loggerhead Shrikes than usual, but this was balanced by plenty of Northern Shrikes which appeared throughout the state beginning in mid-October. Both Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos made late season cameo appearances along the North Shore. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was found in Cook County, in what is fast becoming a tradition of late fall North Shore occurrences.

Five Mountain Bluebirds, thirteen Townsend's Solitaires and four Varied Thrushes were good fall numbers for each of these species. As many as seven solitaires were in Cook County and four others were in St. Louis County. The first Pipestone County record of this species, which preceded all the north reports, and a September report from Hennepin County, were both highly unusual.

Highlights of the fall warbler migration included very unusual November reports of Yellow, Cape May, Bay-breasted, and Blackpoll Warblers, plus American Redstart. Less unexpected were reports of both “Brewster's” and “Lawrence's” Warblers. Minnesota's first-ever autumn Prairie Warbler stayed for a week just west of the MSP airport.

Two Summer Tanagers were found, including the almost obligatory October record along the North Shore. More Lark Sparrows were reported in the northern half of the state than in the south! Nelson's Sparrows were discovered in five counties, including McLeod for the first time. A possible “Gray-headed” Junco, a subspecies of the Dark-eyed Junco which would be considered accidental in the state, made a brief appearance at a feeder in Pipestone County. Smith's Longspurs were in the usual spots on expected dates, between late September and late October.

Birding in the Twin Cites area became more exciting during the hot August month when Mary Ann Novak reported a male Painted Bunting coming to her feeder. Patient observers invariably got good looks at this southern specialty. Great-tailed Grackles continued to haunt the Grovers Lake area of Jackson County. Up to 50 were reported just north of here in mid-October.

Good numbers of Pine Grosbeaks were counted at HRNR, and it was an excellent year for redpolls in the north. Hoary Redpolls were reported from five counties, including several reports from Cook. Redpolls also made a strong showing in the south, but no Hoarys were found among them.

Undocumented Reports: Black-legged Kittiwake 11/26 Cook (Five Mile Rock), Band-tailed Pigeon 10/25 St. Louis (HRNR).

Escapes and Exotics: Whooper Swans (pair in October) in Stillwater, Washington Co. fide AH; Egyptian Goose 8/1 and 8/15 Hennepin (Dayton) SC.

Weather Summary: During the first three months of this season, temperatures across the state were close to average, but a change in the jet stream brought temperatures well above average during November. Monthly averages throughout the state were 7–10 degrees warmer than normal in November. This contributed to the late movement of waterfowl and the lingering warblers that are described in the species accounts.

During August and September, precipitation was significantly above average in the northwestern quarter of the state, while the southwest got less than half their normal rainfall. In October, however, every region of the state received less than half its normal rainfall except for the south-central, which was still below average. During November, parts of the state received scarcely any precipitation, and the statewide average was one-third of normal.

Acknowledgments: I thank Karl Bardon for reviewing this report, and also Peder Svingen for his help with the compilation and for suggesting changes that improved earlier drafts. Kim Eckert and Anthony Hertzel summarized reports called in to the MOU “hotlines” in Duluth and the Twin Cities. Data from HRNR were made available by Frank Nicoletti. Support the research and educational programs at HRNR become a Friend of Hawk Ridge! Early and late dates have been compiled by Robert Janssen. Medians of recent arrival and departure dates were calculated by Paul Budde from published and unpublished data used to compile these seasonal reports during 1985–99. Finally, many thanks to the observers who submit sightings and documentation each season. Special thanks to those who respond to requests for additional details.