What a dramatic difference a year can make! Following the spectacular fall of 1991 with its numbing array of rarities, comparisons between years are inevitable, especially along the North Shore of Lake Superior where three first state records were discovered in 1991. Such comparisons are unfair and not particularly useful, since year-to-year fluctuations in migration are common and expected. More important was the putative impact of a dry spring and an exceptionally cool summer on nesting success in 1992 which apparently skewed fall migration patterns. Many observers commented on the relative lack of juveniles seen during migration, especially among the passerines, with suspected early departure of adults from breeding areas after failed nesting attempts in some cases and unusually late nesting attempts in others. Unfortunately, hard data to support or refute such impressions are few. One such analysis by Dennis Meyer, based upon banding studies at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in Duluth, suggested low reproductive success only for thrushes and Red-eyed Vireos among the species sampled (Hawk Ridge Annual Report, April 1993, pp.
14–15).

August continued the cool pattern of preceding months with an average of 65.9° for the entire month in the Twin Cities and below normal temperatures throughout the state. Most of the precipitation fell during the first and last weeks of August. It finally seemed like summer arrived in mid-September! It remained relatively dry and balmy until a dramatic cool down in mid-October, followed by a gradual warmup and another cooling trend toward the end of the month, with much of the season's snowfall during the first few days of November. The real story in November was the absence of sunshine throughout most of Minnesota. It was the second cloudiest November in modern times for the Twin Cities, where the sun could be found during only 15% of daylight hours. The cloudiness did keep temperatures close to or above normal after the first week.

Among the waterfowl, another Clark's Grebe was discovered which further contributes to understanding of its true status in Minnesota. The “sea ducks” made news when an extremely early Harlequin Duck appeared in Duluth and numerous records of scoters and Long-tailed Duck accumulated through October and November in locations other than Lake Superior, where they were also frequently reported. It was a very poor year for jaegers but gulls and terns produced some excitement. The Little Gull in Polk County was most unusual for fall and the brief appearance of two Sabine's Gulls in Duluth raised hopes for an organized “pelagic” trip on Lake Superior the following day, which failed to relocate them. Karl Bardon's outstanding discovery of an adult Least Tern feeding a juvenile in backwaters of the Mississippi River on 29 August was a lesson in observer persistence and should encourage additional searching in future years, since suitable habitat already exists in many areas and can be created on “spoil islands” if they are neither flooded by high waters nor inundated by predators and people as waters recede. Nesting of the endangered interior Least Tern has still never been confirmed in Minnesota.

Although aspects of fall migration were disappointing, it was certainly not all quiet along the North Shore. Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, with Frank Nicoletti returning for a second year as official counter, reported record high numbers for Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon. In addition, two Gyrfalcons were included in the official count and at least two others were reported elsewhere. The fall flight of Prairie Falcons in western Minnesota was modest compared to last year's excellent showing.

Hummingbirds provided some excitement again this fall. Two adult male Rufous Hummingbirds were reported at feeders and an immature male Ruby-throated was identified on 7 November in Meeker County, a record late date for this species. Reports of Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers were up which encouraged some observers to look for them throughout the winter. Some of the flycatchers appeared to wander south early while others lingered, such as the record late Least Flycatcher that was documented with photographs in Otter Tail County on 25 October. Swallows lingered in some areas as well; perhaps the insectivores found food more easily during the milder weather in late autumn!

Early indications were that finches might be scarce during the upcoming winter, so an apparent “invasion” of solitaires gave winter birding enthusiasts some hope. The nine Townsend's Solitaires were the most ever reported in fall (seven individuals were found in autumn 1981) and almost double the average of five individuals reported in each of the three preceding autumns. The always welcome Varied Thrush appeared in five counties. Two non-singing Sprague's Pipits at the Felton Prairie in late August were presumably migrants, since this area had been thoroughly birded earlier in the year; however, this species is also notoriously difficult to detect during the summer months. Loggerhead Shrikes were reported from six counties this fall, including seven individuals in Dakota County. Shrikes are declining and may be sensitive indicators of environmental quality, so the value of reporting all shrike sightings cannot be overstated.

Although the paucity of passerines along the North Shore in October was startling, not everyone experienced a poor migration. Steve Carlson felt that warbler migration was about average in the Twin Cities and Carol Schumacher reported a good migration in the Winona area during September. Among the remainder of the passerines, two outstanding records deserve mention as as justification for backyard birding. Maurita Geertz heard an unfamiliar call among the stream of Yellow-rumped Warblers moving along the north shore of Lake Mille Lacs and came out of the garage to find Minnesota's first Painted Redstart! Kudos to Bernice Wanek in Doran, Wilkin County, for recognizing the sparrow at her feeder as unusual and worthy of reporting, and especially for tolerating the dozens of observers who subsequently came to see the state's third Black-throated Sparrow. This seasonal report contains much more data for readers to synthesize; it makes excellent back porch reading since almost anything is possible in Minnesota!