May was marked by very cold weather with below normal precipitation and there was frost in northern Minnesota during the latter part of the month.

June was cool until the 20th, when high temperatures began to prevail and from then until the fourth week in July it was very hot and humid. Except in the north and along Lake Superior the temperature was often in the 90's and July 19 it rose to 97 in the Twin Cities. During this period there were violent thunderstorms and very heavy rains that caused flooding by all the rivers to the extent that thousands of acres of crops and hundreds of homes along the rivers were damaged. Coming so late in the season the floods must have had a definitely detrimental effect on wild life in river valleys and areas adjacent. Nests of water birds and upland game birds were doubtless destroyed with con­sequent loss of a goodly amount of popu­lations. Song birds such as meadow­larks, sparrows, and others that nest on the ground or low shrubs must have lost nests and nestlings. It is possible that there was some re-nesting as indicated by the following report of Nesting Rec­ords and Observations made by Orwin A. Rustad and Forrest B. Lee for the Bureau of Research and Planning, Divi­sion of Game and Fish, Minnesota Con­servation Department. Total distance cov­ered in survey: 588 miles. July 3, Wright County -Mallard, 1 brood; Northern Pintail, 1 brood; McLeod County -2 broods of American Coot; Kandiyohi County -4 adults each with 4 young Pied-billed Grebes, 1 Pied­billed Grebe on nest, Mallard, 1 brood; Lac qui Parle County -1 adult, 4 young Pied-billed Grebes; Yellow Medi­cine County -1 female Pheasant with young smaller than meadowlark, 1 coot on nest, 3 young coots, 1 female Mal­lard; Sibley County -1 Pheasant with 7 young smaller than meadowlark, court­ship observed of 2 male and 1 female Blue-winged Teal, 1 American Coot on nest.

The successful nesting of a Wood Duck was reported by Dorothy Legg. She saw a female followed by 21 small ducklings, June 16, on a small lake in Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis. Doubt­less more than one female was responsi­ble for the large brood, for occasionally two or more will deposit eggs in the same nest and then too, the young in other broods will sometimes attach them­selves to a new mother.

A late spring record for Golden-eye Ducks was sent in by A. C. Rosenwinkel. He saw them near St. Paul, May 10.

Report of a late goose migration was received from John Futcher. At Win­ona, May 4, he saw a formation of Blue Geese and one Snow Goose heading north over the Mississippi bottomlands.

Cold weather delayed the May mi­grants somewhat. There was a heavy migration of Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows, May 2-3. Peak migrations of these birds usually occur in April. A large migra­tion of late warblers, flycatchers, thrushes, vireos and some White-throat­ed Sparrows began May 19 and lasted through May 22. Prothonotary Warb­lers were observed during nesting season along the Vermillion River near Hast­ings. Along the St. Croix River in Washington County north of Stillwater they were reported carrying nesting ma­terial, June 1, by A. C. Rosenwinkel.

Blue-winged Warblers and Ceruleaz¥ Warblers were present near Vasa during September, 1957 the same period, observed by this writer. Dr. Dwain Warner and his class saw a pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers in Robert's sanctuary, Minneapolis, May 21. A. C. Rosenwinkel reported that a three-storied Yellow Warbler's nest was found in American Crow Wing County. The lowest nest contained one Brown-headed Cowbird's egg, the middle nest contained two Brown-headed Cowbird's eggs and the upper nest one Brown-headed Cowbird's egg. There were no warbler's eggs in the nests. July 22 in the same area a Yellow Warbler was feeding a nearly full grown Brown-headed Cowbird.

There were several reports of Ameri­can Egrets during the season, one as far north as Lower Red Lake, Beltrami County, reported by Lloyd Smith, May 3. The numbers varied from one to five in each flock.

Brother Theodore reported that Yel­low-crowned Night Herons were back again at Winona nesting in the same spot as in other springs. There were three nests, four young in each nest.

At dusk, at Goose Lake May 8 there occurred an unusual performance by Black Terns. A narrow stream of hun­dreds of these birds in dense concentra­tion flew very swiftly just above the water from the middle of the lake to the shore by the highway. When the head of the stream of birds reached the shore it turned and swiftly flew back to the starting point in the lake passing the oncoming remainder of the birds. They then turned again and flew back to the shore as before passing the re­turning flight. The streams were in close proximity as they passed. The birds flew back and forth for some time and finally at almost dark they settled on the water. The very swift flight with­out pause and the density of the forma­tion caused some doubt as to whether they were actually feeding. The light was poor and it was impossible to deter­ mine whether they were insects. Shore birus have been known to perform in this manner without apparent reason.

In central and western sections there was a good shore bird migration in May. Bruce Hayward of the Minnesota Con­servation Department reported from the Madelia Game Farm, Madelia. He saw about 250 Golden Plovers there the week of May 4 to 10. This writer made observations of shore birds in Sibley County, May 22. There was a very large concentration of Turnstones, Do­wichers, Red-backed Sandpipers, Stilts, Sanderlings, White-rumped Sandpipers, Bird's Sandpipers and small peeps. There were from 75 to 100 Phalaropes, more than half of which were Wilson's Phalaropes. Making observations with me were R. E. Cole, Lester Badger and Ned Morse. Flocks of shore birds near Dassel were being harried by a Peregrine Falcon on this same date. Because of so little rain in May the water was low in the Minnesota River bottomlands, consequently there was much mud. How­ever there were very few shore birds present until the arrival, May 28, of flocks of hundreds of small peeps that flew about feeding.

The Minnesota Ornithologists Union, the Duluth Bird Club and the Duluth branch of the University of Minnesota were hosts to the Wilson Ornithological Society, May 13 to 15. On a field trip to Minnesota Point we saw a Piping Plover and its nest. On another field trip along beautiful Echo Trail led by Harvey Gunderson we saw goodly num­bers of warblers and other song birds which relieved the minds of some of us who were concerned regarding the small number of migrants in May. Only one good migration, May 19-23 was recorded in the Twin City area.

In Washington County, June 8, A. C. Rosenwinkel reported that a pair of Cedar Waxwings was engaged in nest construction nine feet up in a spruce. About a dozen Cedar Waxwings came to this writer's yard, May 13, and stayed several days. They ate petals of apple blossoms. At one time four of them perched side by side on a small branch and passed a petal to one another back and forth for several minutes. Later the tree was loaded with fruit so losing the petals to the birds did not injure it.

Dickcissels were not very abundant this year. A few called from fields and telephone wires in southern sections of the state, June 12.

The first Common Nighthawk appeared in the Twin Cities May 17. There was a fair migration the last week in May but they seemingly were not as abundant as usual. Several Western Eastern Kingbirds again lived all summer in the sand dune area around Anoka and no doubt nested.

For the past five years Brother Theo­dore reported the nesting of the Bell's Vireo in Winona County. Each year the number has increased and this year he recorded 17 pairs. Also in Winona County this year he found five pairs of nesting Henslow's Sparrows and three pairs of Blue-winged Warblers. In Hous­ ton County he reported the following: Hooded Merganser with seven young, Wood Duck with six young, one pair of Peregrine Falcons, three pairs of Yellow­breasted Chats and five pairs of Protho­notary Warblers.

Other unusual observations were re­ported up to August 1 as follows: Mock­ingbird at Frontenac, seen by several observers, May 11, Black Rail seen at Goose Lake by R. E. Cole, May 8. He used a spotting scope at short range and could see every mark on the bird. West­ern Tanager, May 8, Chisago County by this writer, Summer Tanager in Minne­apolis the last week in May by Margaret Lachore, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, July 3 by Frank Kelley, north of Williams at Long Point, Lake of the Woods. This bird must have been blown about by the tornadic winds that occurred this sum­mer in order to appear so far from its territory.