Birders could only muster one Red-throated Loon this season, but found up to nine Pacific Loons. Besides those on Lake Superior where most expected, they were seen in Cass, Aitkin, and Beltrami, the latter a county first. Even Common Loons made news when the record high count of 1688 was smashed — more than 2500 were tallied on Mille Lacs Lake!

Eared Grebes were scarce, as in 1999, but Western Grebes turned up in two counties for the first time ever. A Clark's Grebe from summer continued into fall while another made a cameo appearance at Agassiz N.W.R.

Snowy and Cattle Egrets showed up in typical numbers. A carefully identified White-faced Ibis in Wright was a first county record. Two other Plegadis were photographed but remained unidentified; both were most likely this same species. One of them was a full month later than any other ibis ever recorded in the state!

The early August occurrence of a sixth state record (the third since 1995) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in Grant County fit this species' pattern of post-breeding dispersal but its origin was still uncertain. Goose migration was rather typical. Both Greater White-fronted and Snow Geese were scarce, and there was only one report of Ross's Goose. Once again, a Mute Swan (same bird?) showed up in Wright County while Trumpeter Swans continued to expand — they were found in 25 counties this season!

A fourteenth state record King Eider was found in Good Harbor Bay on Lake Superior; ten of the fourteen have been along the North Shore. As many as seven Harlequin Ducks were present during the period. Sea ducks away from Lake Superior included first county records for Surf Scoter in Olmsted and Houston, two White-winged Scoters in Rice, and a third White-winged on Lake Pepin in Wabasha. Long-tailed Ducks were also found in southeastern Minnesota.

An adult Mississippi Kite showed up at Hawk Ridge during early September, in what is becoming a biennial event. Its identification was never in doubt but the photographs alone were not convincing, so it remains the only Casual species on the Minnesota list for which there are no identifiable specimens or photographs.

Other reports of interest from Hawk Ridge included a record-tying 23 Golden Eagles on 16 November and a seasonal total of 1,236 Northern Goshawks. This was only two short of the combined total for 1997–99! Next year could very well be outstanding as we approach another ten-year peak in the goshawk's population cycle. Raptor numbers at Hawk Ridge were down from 128,639 in 1999, though the composite total of 87,024 was still quite respectable. During the 1999 and 2000 fall seasons, Broad-winged Hawks represented two-thirds of the composite total. Table 2 in the species accounts depicts more data for each of these species.

Away from Hawk Ridge, a Northern Goshawk was a first-ever for Kandiyohi. Other first county records among raptors included Red-shouldered Hawk in Lake and Merlin in Lincoln. Two gray-morph Gyrfalcons were found along the North Shore, at Bayside Park near Silver Bay and at Hawk Ridge; they may have been the same bird. A complete absence of the Prairie Falcon was unusual for fall.

No fewer than 217 Greater Prairie-Chickens were counted at Rothsay WMA in Wilkin County. As a result of the fall harvest in Houston County, a few coveys of Northern Bobwhite were uncovered. This may be encouraging but accurate data are needed about this species' status in Minnesota. Common Moorhens were found in both Blue Earth and Meeker counties in early September, matching the two reports from the previous fall.

Record or near-record high counts of several shorebird species were reported, primarily due to concentrated surveys by KJB and BEO in the west-central region. These included Solitary, Semipalmated, Least, and Pectoral Sandpipers. Buff-breasted Sandpipers were scarce in the extreme south, but otherwise occurred in good numbers with a statewide total of 293+ individuals in 16 counties. The most unusual shorebird was a Red Phalarope found at the Superior Entry in Duluth.

A juvenile Pomarine Jaeger found in Duluth during late September provided the 13th state record. This was the second consecutive September for a juvenile of this species in Duluth. No fewer than three Parasitics were on Lake Superior. A subadult on Mille Lacs Lake and five other jaegers in Duluth were unidentified, even though they were seen by some of the best jaeger-meisters in the state.

Two Little Gulls in juvenal plumage were found in August, one seen briefly at Hearding Island in Duluth, and the other ten days later on French Lake, Hennepin County. This interesting plumage is rarely seen in the state, leading to speculation that both might have been the same bird. The north shore of Spirit Lake is adjacent to Jackson County and continues to be the best place to search for Black-headed Gull in Minnesota. An adult was found here in October, just like Fall 1998 and 1999. One or more adults, as well as a few juveniles, have been found in the vicinity of Spirit Lake (mostly in Iowa) on a regular basis since 1994.

Adult Thayer's Gulls appeared record early in Duluth and Minneapolis, while a juvenile gave Crow Wing its first county record. A single Iceland Gull was found at Grand Marais in late November, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull continued the tradition of roosting on Lake Calhoun in Hennepin County into the winter season. Single Great Black-backed Gulls were found in Duluth and at Black Dog Lake, Dakota County. Arguably most amazing was an unprecedented 26 Sabine's Gulls at the Superior Entry in Duluth! Two more stayed at the Breckenridge lagoons, Wilkin County, for almost a week. Two to three Black-legged Kittiwakes were on Lake Superior — at Grand Marais and Two Harbors. Minnesota's first fall record of the Arctic Tern added icing to the cake when found near the Sabine's Gulls at the Superior Entry in Duluth.

Eurasian Collared-Doves continue to pop up near the Minnesota River Valley. This season's report was from Odessa in Big Stone County, near the western end of the valley.

A major influx of Snowy, Northern Hawk, Great Gray, and Boreal Owls was well underway by the end of the fall season. Snowy Owls showed up in very poor condition as early as mid-October. At least 35 Northern Hawk Owls and 83 Great Gray Owls were located, though neither species expanded much beyond the north-central and northeast regions of Minnesota.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers continued their expansion into the north-central and northwest regions. Both Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers were found in higher than normal numbers, primarily in northeastern Minnesota but especially in Cook County.

The last flycatcher found this season proved to be Minnesota's second Ash-throated Flycatcher. It was discovered at Two Harbors in Lake County, precisely on the tenth anniversary of the first state record! This “southwestern” species also appeared in Wisconsin (that state's first) this fall, four days earlier than the one in Two Harbors. Less unexpected were the Western Kingbirds found in September along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Late Loggerhead Shrikes at the end of October and in mid-November were carefully documented to distinguish them from Northerns -— the expected species at that time of year. For their part, Northern Shrikes arrived throughout the state in good numbers during mid-October.

A Tufted Titmouse was a one-day surprise at a feeder in Duluth. There have been very few reports of this species away from the southeast corner of the state in the last decade. Several Carolina Wrens were seen in the Twin Cities and one was in Houston County. Three Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were exceptionally late; surprisingly, these were not from the North Shore, where most of the recent late fall gnatcatchers have occurred.

At least six Townsend's Solitaires were found on the North Shore. A total of three others were in Norman County and the Twin Cities metro area. Only two Varied Thrushes appeared this season. Two Northern Mockingbirds were seen; one in Olmsted County and one in Cook. American Pipits tied a record for the earliest south arrival and smashed the high count record, when 600 were found feeding in soybean fields in Rock County.

Over the last few years, most autumn reports of Black-throated Blue Warbler have come from Hennepin County; thus, one in Beltrami this year was surprising. A Yellow-throated Warbler, first found at William O'Brien S.P. in June, barely made the list for the fall season. No other unexpected Parulidae were found but an unusual number of record or near record-late dates for several species kept warbler migration interesting.

More Spotted Towhees were found in the state this season than in any other since the Eastern Towhee was split in the mid-1990s. Descriptions of two of these birds, however, were puzzling and left open the possibility of hybridization. Considering how few of the others were described, it is impossible to assess how often hybrid towhees might occur during migration.

Following so many summer reports of Henslow's Sparrows, this species was typically absent in fall. Good numbers of Le Conte's and Nelson's Sparrows were found, however. Small flocks of the latter species were seen in Dakota, Hennepin, and Rice counties for almost two weeks.

Lapland Longspurs were a model of timeliness. They arrived north and south within one day of their recent median arrival dates. Smith's Longspurs were relatively ill-behaved, with four reports from unexpected North Shore locations, in addition to more typical reports from west-central and southwest regions. Also more expected in western Minnesota, a Black-headed Grosbeak made a brief appearance — where else? — along the North Shore, in Two Harbors. The male Painted Bunting that spent the last two summers in western Hennepin County lingered into August.

Winter finches were few in number and essentially confined to the northern regions. Pine Grosbeaks could be found in traditional areas. There were scattered reports of both species of crossbills throughout the period, from the northern part of the state. Common Redpolls were scarce, so no Hoary Redpolls were reported. Evening Grosbeaks were also restricted to the north, except for one in Meeker County. Last but not least, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow which had been summering in Clay County stayed until the first of September.

Undocumented Reports: Marbled Godwit 9/11 Becker; juvenile Sabine's Gull 10/13 St. Louis (Duluth); Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 10/14 Lake (near Silver Bay); Carolina Wren 10/2 St. Louis (Duluth); Bohemian Waxwing 11/5 Dakota; and Black-headed Grosbeak 8/8 Swift.

Weather Summary: Autumn started out with average temperatures one to three degrees (F) above normal statewide. It was also drier than normal, with less than half the expected amount of precipitation in southwest and west-central regions. In September average temperatures returned to the norm, but most of the state stayed very dry. Rainfall was only one-third to one-half the expected amount, except in the northwest and north-central regions. October was unusually warm across the state. All regions reported temperatures above normal and in the southeast, it was almost four degrees warmer than normal. Precipitation levels continued at only half its expected levels until the end of the season in November. At that time, all nine regions received one and a half to three inches above normal precipitation. Temperatures then fell below the norms, especially in the southwest.

Acknowledgments: I thank Karl Bardon and Peder Svingen for a careful review and their suggested impovements to this report. Peder compiled data for loons to woodpeckers. Besty Beneke, Kim Eckert, and Anthony Hertzel summarized reports called in to the “hotlines” in northwestern Minnesota, Duluth, and the Twin Cities, respectively. I thank Frank Nicoletti and the Duluth Audubon Society for data from Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. Earliest and latest dates were compiled by Robert Janssen. Medians of recent arrival and departure dates were calculated from published and unpublished data used to compile these seasonal reports between 1985 and 1999. Finally, I thank the many observers who submit data and documentation each season that makes this report possible.