June may have been wet and cool, but July made up for it by being hot and dry. A near record eight inches of rain fell on the Twin Cities during June, but the real news came on the last few days of the month when severe rains flooded the Red River valley, especially in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Up to 12 to 18 inches fell during that week, washing away field after field of "black desert" agriculture.

Also hit were some virgin prairie tracts along the glacial Lake Agassiz shoreline including the Felton prairie.

Whether this affected the Chestnutcollared Longspur and Sprague's Pipits here remains to be seen, but no one reported either species at Felton this summer. July made a good try to dry everything up -the Twin Cities had its third driest and third hottest July on record. Drought almost seems an annual event in July now in the southwest part of the state; only good March snows and an August downpour saved this summer's fields.

Perhaps because of the uncooperative weather, only 42 reports were received (five fewer than last year), only 133 species were recorded as nesting (14 fewer than last year), and a total of 241 species were accounted for (eight fewer than last summer). It is tempting to complain about the lack of reports especially from the "old reliables," but new observers and new counties are turning up with every season at a good enough rate to offset our losses. However, the fact remains that Summer 1975 resulted with more "fewer reports than usual" comments than we'd like to see.

It also seemed that fewer highlights emerged from a relatively mediocre season, but several significant sightings prevailed. Two dead Red-throated Loons washed up on shore at Duluth in late June representing one of the few summer records for this species.

Among the herons, Green Herons continued to "invade" southwest Minnesota, Great Egrets again showed up at Agassiz Refuge, and Yellow-crowned Night Herons were absent from usually reliable La Crescent. Wood Ducks also continued to do well in the southwest, an unprecedented Bufflehead turned up in St. Paul, Common Mergansers lingered in two southern counties, and a Red-breasted did the same.

A Red-shouldered Hawk in Cass Co. may have been the forerunner of another range extension, while Roughlegged Hawks appeared in Aitkin Co. representing only the fifth summer record. The Northern Bobwhite held on to its regular status with no less than four reports, while a King Rail at Big Stone Refuge also managed to barely keep its place on the regular list. No Greater Prairie Chickens were reported, but hopefully this was the result of no one looking for them rather than the devastating rains in June. Yellow Rails were reportedly heard in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area which would represent a new breeding area for this species. Shorebirds did well with woodcocks again persisting in the southwest, and new record dates for Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Sanderling.

Ring-billed Gulls were all over the place increasing speculation as to how many California Gulls were hidden among them, a Little Gull lingered into June at Duluth, and yet another Least Tern was found -the third in 13 months. Roadside breeding bird surveys usually hold no surprises, but a third state record Band-tailed Pigeon must have thrown the Stearns Co. count off schedule. Great Gray Owls again nested in the state -this time it was two young raised near Aitkin.

A Lyon Co. sapsucker nest was quite out of normal breeding range, and no less than six Black-backed Three-toed nesting reports were received. Acadian Flycatchers continued to push north from Houston Co., while in the same area Tufted Titmice continued to be scarce. VVinter VVrens set records by showing up in the southeast in at least two counties. Three Loggerhead Shrikes were seen -another poor total for a formerly common bird. Vireos and warblers did all right: for the second year in a row a Bell's Vireo was found at Pipestone, Black-throated Blues again seemed easier to find than in past summers, good late dates were obtained for Black-throated Green, Connecticut, Mourning and VVilson's VVarblers, Franconia again came through with a Louisiana VVaterthrush, and it took no less than Roger Tory Peterson to verify a Hooded VVarbler