Winter retained its icy grip on the state well into March. On the 1st, it was a -3° Farenheit in Minneapolis and on the 3rd, a huge winter storm hit the southern part of the state; 9.5" of snow fell in the Twin Cities.

By the lOth, temperatures moderated into the 40's and the first spring migrants began to trickle into the state. However, another big storm hit the state on the 14th with 7.5" falling in the Twin Cities. To add insult to injury, the temperature fell to a -30° Farenheit in Isabella, Lake County on the 17th; it was a -1 o Farenheit in the Twin Cities. These cold temperatures did not deter the Homed Larks from flooding into the state on the 19th and 20th. By the 23rd and 24th, spring started to show itself at least in southern Minnesota.

Ducks moved into the Minnesota River and Black Dog Lake areas as temperatures moderated into the upper 40's. By the 27th, the temperature went up to 71 o; so in a span of 10 days, we saw a range of temperature from the depths of winter to balmy summer. The mild temperature continued during the last week of the month. On the 29th, 59 species were recorded in the south-central part of the state, so spring had finally arrived.

April started cool and cloudy with some much-needed rain falling in many parts of the state by the 3rd. By this time, the Minnesota River Valley was full of ducks and the first Tundra Swans were returning to the state.

Winter returned on the 8th with snow showers: the 9th, lOth and 11th were cold with more snow showers. The ice was still in most lakes but the rivers and small ponds were open. The "roller-coaster" weather continued: on the 13th and 14th the temperatures were in the 60's, but on the 18th there was an inch of snow on the ground. This melted quickly with temperatures rising into the 70's on the 19th and 20th and 21st. There was good birding over the state on the 23rd when 91 species were recorded in southern Minnesota. It was summer-like on the 25th with a high of 73° Farenheit in the Twin Cities. Some much needed rain fell from the 26th to the 28th.

May had an ominous start and a preview of what was to come. There was frost on the ground with the temperature at 30° on the 1st and 2nd. The 3rd and 4th were more springlike, but on the 5th we had snow, the first time in May since 1976. The 6th was worse with a record low of 25°, strong north winds and wind chills near zero. In spite of this cold, 118 species were recorded on the 6th in Steele, Dodge and Freeborn Counties.

Warblers, sparrows, flycatchers and thrushes were all over the ground. Luckily the cold snap was short-lived, as temperatures rose into the 50's by the afternoon of the 6th and the north winds (thankfully) abated. For the rest of the month it was like summer as daytime highs rose into the 70's and into the 80's by the 16th and 17th. There was a huge migration of thrushes and warblers in Duluth on 19 May. The 22nd and 23rd saw temperatures in the 80's. A little rain fell during the last two weeks of the month, but almost all areas of the state reported moisture shortages as the 1988 drought extended into 1989.

Highlights of the spring birding season are summarized below.

A Clark's Grebe was carefully identified on 22 May at Moorhead; many birders got to see the Tricolored Heron at the Old Cedar Ave. Bridge in Bloomington from 4 to 20 May. Mute Swans were seen in Duluth and Houston (wild?) County during April. Snowy Egrets were in Ramsey, Houston and Mower Counties, but no Cattle Egrets were reported and only one Little Blue Heron was seen all spring.

There was an extraordinary goose migration during the spring, an excellent summary of this migration is contained in The Loon 61:60-61. The duck migration was less than spectacular as the drought, no doubt, continued to take its toll on this gr~up. A Barrow's Goldeneye was still at Grand Portage, Cook County on 27 May.

There were more than usual reports offalcons; Peregrines, Merlins and Prairie Falcons were seen in many areas.

The first Black-necked Stilt for the state was found in Roseau County from 23 to 25 April. There were eight pairs of Piping Plovers at Pine and Curry Islands, Lake of the Woods County on 19 May.

The ftve Laughing Gulls at the Whitewater WMA in Wabasha/Winona Counties on 27 May was unprecedented for the area. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was at Winona on 6 May and a Black-legged Kittiwake was at Bemidji on 20 April.

Good numbers of Great Gray Owls remained in northern areas of the state after the winter invasion of 1988-89 (The Loon 61;115-117). During March, the die-off of Boreal Owls continued when ftve were found dead in Roseau and Beltrami Counties. This die-off will be documented in a future article in The Loon.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers continue to expand their range northward in the state; one was seen on the Wadena/Hubbard County line in May. Black-billed Magpies were found nesting in Aitkin County in May. The Carolina Wren that spent the winter in Anoka County was seen until 24 April. There was an early House Wren in Olmsted County on 9 April.

A Common Raven was recorded in Hennepin County on 3 March. One wonders what happens to all the ravens that pass southward over Hawk Ridge in Duluth during the fall.

Only a few are ever seen south of Duluth, (in Carlton and Pine Counties). Fewer still must continue on down the Mississippi River Valley as they are reported occassionally in LaCrosse by Wisconsin observers; however, they still go unrecorded on the Minnesota side of the river.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher continues its northward expansion in the state with records from four northern counties. Vireo and warbler migration was lackluster for the season except for Duluth on 19 May. White-eyed Vireos were seen in two counties. Up to 12 Black-throated Blue Warblers were seen in Duluth between 18 and 20 May. The warbler ftnd of the year was the Prairie Warbler at Elm Creek Park Reserve on 13 May. The bird was around for only a few minutes.

There were Kentucky Warblers in Houston and Lac qui Parle Counties, the latter record was of a singing male at Lac qui Parle State Park. It appeared he was valiently trying to attract a mate; there was no evidence that he did so. Unusual was the Yellow-breasted Chat in Wilkin County on 27 May.

Black-headed Grosbeaks made history, occurring in Winona County and Lac qui Parle County in early May. A Western Tanager was in Rochester from 7 to 14 May. A Lazuli Bunting put in a brief appearance at a feeder near Detroit Lakes, Becker County. It was encouraging to have a report of a Henslow's Sparrow in Wilkin County on 23 May.

Most exciting was the discovery of a Chestnut-collared Longspur in Lake County along the North Shore of Lake Superior on 27 May.

House Finches are becoming much more numerous, especially in the southern part of the state. The first documented House Finch nesting record came from Winona in late May and they were nesting in Faribault, Rice County at the same time.

All things considered, it wasn't too bad a season, even though there weren't too many rarities; but note the number of early dates, especially in the flycatcher and shorebird groups. The weather from hot to cold and back again was hard on everyone. The drought is the real problem. Many permanent marshes are totally dry, making them available for plowing and crops. Many of the larger lakes, such as Tiger Lake in Carver County, are little more than wet mud. Two years ago the lake was home to nesting Eared Grebes. Hopefully the rains will come and those species hit by the drought will be able to recover.