Summer 1974 in Minnesota was hot and dry. Drought conditions in some areas, especially in southwestern counties, were among the worst in history.

June's temperatures weren't too bad, with most regions close to norms. Exceptions were Winona at 5.1° below normal and a monthly high of 102° at Luverne and Worthington. But June was dry with all regions except the Southeast with below normal precipitation.

The western third of the state was over two inches behind in rainfall.

Elgin fared well with 10.15 inches of rain for June, but Elbow Lake managed only.68 inches. Dry conditions continued into July and it got hotter.

All regions were between 2.5° and 4.4o above normal. Only Two Harbors and Grand Marais on cool Lake Superior averaged slightly cooler than normal, and on the 13th Redwood Falls recorded July's high of 105°. Also Bird Island and Cambridge suffered through temperatures that were 5.7° higher than the norm. All regions were behind in rainfall, with the Southwest no less than 2.47 inches below normal for July. Windom, for example, managed only.47 inches for the month.

But these weather extremes apparently had little effect on breeding birds. Potholes may have dried up in the heat, but at least waterbirds didn't get drowned out from their nests. A total of 237 species (plus 12 migrant shorebirds) were recorded by 47 observers.

Nesting evidence was found for 147 species. These totals are probably close to average, but it is difficult to compare numbers from year to year. Some compilers count migrants (e.g. shorebirds) while others may not, and it is often difficult to be accurate and consistent when deciding what constitutes nesting evidence on the reports.

Coverage seemed pretty good dur ing Summer 1974. The numbers of observers was not any higher, but we seem to have reporters from more counties than ever before. Many species appear with a comment such as "more reports than usual," indicating not a greater abundance of birds perhaps, but rather better representation from more counties. Only two or three species were noted to have been less common than usual.

Several highlights for the season seem worth emphasizing here. Little Blue Herons and Cattle Egrets failed to nest at Lake Johanna but there were still sight records, and Yellowcrowned Night Herons appeared to have nested in Stearns Co. Three Mute Swans lingered into June at Duluth (first state record), as did Little Gulls and an Arctic Tern (second state records).

Ring-billed Gulls set up a good sized colony at Duluth, having nested previously only on Mille Lacs. The now casual Burrowing Owl not only showed up but also bred and raised young in Cottonwood Co., and Great Gray Owls were almost common in northern Minnesota and may have bred. A Scissortailed Flycatcher with a fondness for concrete was spotted in a shopping center parking lot, a pair of Say's Phoebes tried to nest in Rock Co. (third state record), and Acadian Flycatchers seem to be expanding their numbers and range. Black-billed Magpies bred in St. Louis Co., far east of their "normal" range, and seven Sprague's Pipits at Felton may be an all-time high for the state. It is hard to figure what a Black-and-white Warbler was doing in Le Sueur Co. in late June or why a Blackpoll Warbler was still in Duluth on 6-21. Black-throated Blue Warblers showed up in unprecedented numbers, and the now casual Yellowbreasted Chat occurred twice. Finally, two species occurred east of their normal range of northwest Minnesota: Nelson's Sparrows followed the Yellow Rails from Waubun to Aitkin Co., and a male Chestnut-collared Longspur turned up in Duluth.