Another balmy winter in Minnesota! December was exceptionally mild and most lakes throughout the state remained open through mid-month (as much as a month later than normal). As a result, many waterbirds were reported in record numbers. Very few of these lingering masses overwintered, however; most species of waterbirds departed on schedule by early January, probably due to a brief return to normal temperatures. The remainder of the season was relatively quiet, with mild weather, little snowfall, and few birds. With only a few exceptions, landbirds seemed more scarce than last winter. Not unexpectedly, northern owls and winter finches staged almost no southward movement.

Nearly all species of waterbirds were reported in record numbers or on record late dates. The numbers reported were more typical for early November than early December. For example, the following estimates were made at the Reno Bottoms, Houston Co. on 7 December: 6,000 Tundra Swans, 40,000 Canvasbacks, 3,000 Ring-necked Ducks, 500 scaup, 2 White-winged Scoters, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 160 Buffleheads, 1,500 Common Goldeneyes, and 1,930 Ruddy Ducks. Observers are reminded however, that most of these birds (and most reports of waterfowl at the Reno Bottoms) are actually in Wisconsin waters.

Among the multitudes of lingering waterfowl, the highlight was a single Ross's Goose which was seen by many observers through the Faribault Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on 19 December. Other noteworthy reports include a record number of Double-crested Cormorants (with one individual overwintering at Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co.), record late dates for both Horned and Western Grebes, as many as seven Mute Swans (probably not a highlight!), only the second winter report of Blue-winged Teal in the past ten years, a record late Black Scoter, a record number of White-winged Scoters, and multiple reports of Long-tailed Duck away from Lake Superior.

There was an interesting influx of waterfowl into the Metro region in late January. A single immature male Greater Scaup and two Lesser Scaup showed up at Lake Rebecca, Dakota Co., on 30 January, and additional Lesser Scaup as well as another Greater Scaup were found at this location later in February. Also of interest was the apparent arrival of three Red-breasted Mergansers, one male Canvasback, and a Lesser Scaup along the Mississippi River in South St. Paul on 28 January. Regular checks of this location earlier in the month had not turned up these individuals. Do such records represent the extreme of early migrants, or were these birds overwintering locally, perhaps moving north a few miles with the advent of a return to above average temperatures?

Not surprisingly, many species of raptors also were reported in record numbers. Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, and Golden Eagles were all widespread in December. There were indications that many of these individuals probably were still moving southward as late as 19 December when the beginning of the CBC period produced multiple reports of Golden Eagles (including four at Duluth!) and Northern Harriers. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, as well as Red-tailed Hawks were also more widespread than in previous winter seasons.

Here's a sample of sightings which indicated that something unusual was definitely happening out there this winter: a Virginia Rail was seen swimming across openings in the marsh at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge, Hennepin Co., on 21 January; a Sandhill Crane was spotted at Sherburne NWR on 6 December; a mixed flock of 11 Killdeer and 32 Wilson's Snipe was found in a mudflat at Brownsville, Houston Co., on 7 December; a Greater Yellowlegs was seen in Fillmore Co. on 5 December; a Spotted Sandpiper was watched at the marina in Grand Marais, Cook Co., on 16 December; a Franklin's Gull joined a flock of Ring-billed Gulls in a field in Waseca Co. on 1 December and another Franklin's Gull was seen in Dakota Co. on 5 December. All of these sightings are exceptional for the season, and taken together, give strong testimony about the winter possibilities in our state during exceptionally mild weather.

Nine species of gulls were seen in December. There were an estimated 15,000 Ring-billed Gulls at various sites in the southern part of the state in early December — once again, such numbers are more typical for early November. Mille Lacs Lake stayed open until 17 December, allowing Bonaparte's Gulls to linger there later than ever before, while another Bonaparte's Gull seen in Washington Co. on 19 December set a record late date. As many as four Lesser Black-backed Gulls were found, including a first-winter individual which lingered in the Metro region until 4 January, another new record late date. The now-Regular Great Black-backed Gull was sighted in Duluth on 24 December, no doubt a wanderer from the landfill in Superior, Wisconsin, where a first-winter bird was documented overwintering. Checking landfills in Sherburne and Wright counties produced first county records of Glaucous Gull, and continued monitoring of landfills in the Twin Cities area resulted in a duplicate of last winter's peak count of at least eleven Thayer's Gulls in Dakota Co. The state's second report of a hybrid Glaucous X Herring Gull (“Nelson's Gull”) came from Dakota and Hennepin counties in late December (The Loon 71:54–55). But overshadowing all of these larids was an adult Mew Gull at Canal Park in Duluth, only the third state record, and the first to be documented by photograph.

Even though the state's first Eurasian Collared-Dove did not occur until May 1998, there were no fewer than three reports of this expanding species during winter 1998–99, including those which had been initially found at Lynd, Lyon Co., in November. Will this species spread throughout the state as dramatically as the House Finch?

The near absence of northern owls was compensated for by near record numbers of both Short-eared and Long-eared Owls. Anthony Hertzel, Paul Hertzel, and Benjamin Hertzel specialized in finding Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls by searching suitable stands of conifers this season; they discovered Long-eared Owls in no fewer than 14 counties. Although these numbers may reflect an exceptional year for Long-eareds, their results also show that these owls are out there if skilled, knowledgeable observers are willing to look for them.

As mentioned earlier, passerines were difficult to find, and in general seemed to be present in lower numbers than normal. Compare the dearth of most species of sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, blackbirds, and other passerines to the record number of reports for these same species last year. It is quite possible that the intense low pressure system which passed through the state in early November caused the departure of many passerines which otherwise would have lingered.

A few other species of passerines, however, were found in exceptional numbers. Extraordinary numbers of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs were present in western and southern regions in December and January — apparently far more than in any previous winter season. Especially intriguing were the many reports of hundreds of Lapland Longspurs in early January. Did these represent lingering fall migrants, overwintering birds, or returning spring migrants? Massive numbers of American Robins were present in the southeast, with a peak of 1,233 on the new Whitewater CBC, a number higher than any previous cumulative CBC total. Equally massive were the flocks of Bohemian Waxwings throughout the northern regions. Although many observers understandably predicted an invasion of waxwings into southern regions by late winter, with few exceptions they did not stray farther south. Apparently, the existence of mature ornamental fruit trees (crab apple and mountain ash) in towns throughout the northern regions nearly precludes the possibility of this species occurring in the south in any numbers. Notable numbers have not been seen in the south since the mid-1980s.

A few other noteworthy passerines were discovered, including a tail-less Orange-crowned Warbler in Duluth on 18 December, both a Chipping Sparrow and a Yellow-headed Blackbird on the Fergus Falls CBC, as many as four different Carolina Wrens, and a Marsh Wren calling in the same location as last winter's individual at the Bass Ponds, Hennepin Co. A Gray Catbird was carefully documented as it overwintered at the latter location, providing only the third such record for the state.

Imagine a Duluth Christmas Bird Count when only one Pine Grosbeak, one Evening Grosbeak, and fourteen Common Redpolls were counted! This was definitely an exceptionally poor winter for observing “winter finches.” One had to travel all the way to the Canadian border in northeastern Minnesota to find normal numbers of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, while redpolls were generally absent throughout the state. Indeed, redpoll numbers were one of the lowest totals reported in over twenty years. As with most non-redpoll winters, there were large flocks of American Goldfinches in the north, and this turned out to be one of the best winters ever for this species throughout the state. Although there were modest numbers of both crossbills in the north, only a few south reports were received. And finally, Pine Siskins were quite scarce, except at the end of the period in northern regions.