For those of you that didn't care for the heat of some recent summers in Minnesota, the summer of 1992 was certainly welcome relief. Generally, the entire period was very cool and moderately dry. Not once did any region of the state report a temperature above 96° — compare that to the drought summers just a few short years ago! June saw temperatures of about one to three degrees below average. The month began cool, following a very cold snap in late May, then warmed by mid-month. A cool wave in the third week set the tone for the rest of the summer; frosts were reported in the north, with a low of 24° in the northeast on the 20th. Rainfall in June was average to slightly below average in most areas; there did not appear to be any unusual flooding or drought, although the southeast corner of the state received about two inches below average rainfall.

July of 1992 may be long remembered as one of the coldest on record. All regions of the state reported temperatures about six to eight degrees below average. In most regions, the temperature never made it into the 90's; amazingly, only three weather stations in the entire state recorded a 90° temperature! In the northeast even 80° was hard to come by — Duluth, for example, had the coldest July on record with a high for the whole month of only 79°! Despite all this, there were no frosts reported in the state during the month — perhaps a saving grace for late-breeding birds (however, the cool summer may have had some deleterious effects on breeding — there were unconfirmed reports of many Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows losing their young in nest boxes, and Purple Martins and Forster's Terns abandoning nests.) Compared to temperature, rainfall in July was very “normal” with every region of the state reporting near average totals. All told, a cool and pleasant summer!

No fewer than 88 observers submitted seasonal reports and/or breeding information for the summer. This number has changed relatively little over the past several years — a tribute to the diligent work of many summer birders. A total of 263 species was observed, slightly fewer than the previous ten-year average of 266 and 10 fewer than last year. Contributors sent in 897 nest or brood cards, substantially more than in the past few years. Good work! Breeding data were collected for 155 species, the highest total since 1988. Special thanks go to the personnel conducting this year's Minnesota County Biological Survey: Karl Bardon, Steve Stucker, Mike Hedemark, Arlyne Johnson, Abby Powell, Pam Page, Ralph Hanson, Sharon Moen, Gary Swanson, and Gary Dulin. The MCBS staff produced 269 nest/brood cards and provided excellent coverage of Morrison, Dakota, and several northwestern counties. Also deserving recognition were the members of the Hiawatha Valley Audubon: Andy and Joyce Buggs, Virginia Kramer, Howard Munson, Anah Nelson, Carol Schumacher, Will and Betty Snyder, and Kay Shaw. The HVA volunteers contributed 35 nest/brood cards from Winona Co. Other top contributors of breeding information included Mark Newstrom/Jean Segerstrom (133), Jack Sprenger (62), William Longley (58), Erlys Krueger (44), Karl Bardon (35), and Dave Neitzel (31). As always, a hearty thanks to all contributors for your excellent efforts. Each sighting and breeding record is important — keep up the good work!

Surely the most noteworthy birding event of the summer was the appearance of a Neotropic Cormorant (formerly named Olivaceous Cormorant) in Ramsey Co. This vagrant from the Gulf Coast was observed by many birders for over two weeks late in the season at Lake Vadnais in St. Paul. A first for Minnesota, this bird raised the total state list to 410 species (now 411.) In addition to the cormorant, three accidental species appeared this summer. A pair of Black-necked Stilts was spotted at the Old Cedar Avenue bridge birding hotspot in Hennepin Co., representing the third record of this species in Minnesota (the first two occurred in 1989). A singing Prairie Warbler was found in Rock Co. early in June, the fifth state record. And at the opposite end of the state, a Western Wood-Pewee was observed singing in a jack pine stand in Roseau Co., representing the sixth record for the state.

For the third summer in five years, a Clark's Grebe was carefully identified among many Westerns, this time at Diamond Lake in Kandiyohi Co. Two Trumpeter Swans, presumably from the Minnesota reintroduction program, (one was tagged), were observed in June at Moose Lake WMA in Aitkin Co. Hopefully both these species will be more commonly reported in the future as efforts to identify the recently split grebes increases and the swan population grows. Three other casual species seen this summer included a cooperative King Rail at the Bass Ponds in Hennepin Co., a Laughing Gull at the Ruthton sewage ponds in Pipestone Co., and a Carolina Wren present throughout the summer in Dakota Co.

A number of other sightings this summer were noteworthy. No fewer than 14 Rough-legged Hawks were observed in ten counties, an unprecedented number of reports for a species listed as accidental in summer. A few were found injured or dead, and of these all were poorly nourished — it is possible Rough-legged Hawks found no food (primarily small mammals) on returning to their breeding grounds in the spring, and returned south in desperation (D. Evans, pers. comm.). Just as unusual was the Snowy Owl found in mid-June in the farm country of Yellow Medicine Co., a bird capable of flight and appearing to be in good condition. A Greater White-fronted Goose, also apparently healthy, was seen in early July in Roseau Co. and represented only the third summer record for the state. Also lingering were Snow Geese in Otter Tail, Roseau, and Clay Counties. An Orange-crowned Warbler was observed in Cass Co. in mid-summer, well south of its breeding range and representing the first summer record in at least 12 years. A Northern Hawk Owl photographed in St. Louis Co. in July was not too surprising following the massive invasion of the previous winter.

For a number of species this summer, there were more reports than usual. In fact, species for which reports were up outnumbered species for which reports were down by about three to one. Much of this was probably due to the extensive MCBS work in several counties. For example, a number of breeding sites for Yellow Rails and Nelson's Sparrows were discovered in Morrison Co., suggesting their breeding ranges extend farther south than previously known. Both species were also reported at several sites in the northwest. Another example is the Sandhill Crane, a species observed in six northwestern counties by survey workers. However, there were several species for which an increase in reports appeared to be more than just a result of increased coverage. The Turkey Vulture population appears to be expanding, and increases in Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and House Finches are well documented. There were increased reports statewide of several waterbird species such as American White Pelican, Green-winged Teal, Virginia Rail, and Caspian Tern. Noteworthy out-of-range nesting records were submitted for Cattle Egret (Marshall Co.), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Clay Co.), and Prothonotary Warbler (Sherburne Co.). And sightings of Wild Turkeys increased markedly, raising the question of their status (“established” or not?) beyond the five or so counties in extreme southeast Minnesota.

As always, a few species were conspicuous by their absence. Of concern was the lack of any reports of Bay-breasted Warblers, a species normally recorded in the northeast each summer. For the third straight year, no Piping Plovers were seen. Hooded Warblers, normally observed in Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Scott Co., probably were not reported this season because the usual observer for that locale was out of state. Other missing species that have been reported in seven or more of the past ten summers were American Golden-Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Boreal Owl, Northern Mockingbird, Rusty Blackbird, and Red Crossbill.

Whatever the reason (possibly the cool weather), for some species spring migration was late and/or fall migration early. Spring shorebirds in general were late, with a lot of migration continuing well into June. For example, there were several reports of Red-necked Phalaropes in late June; other species for which very late dates were recorded included Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, and White-rumped Sandpiper. For fall migration, a few northern warblers were detected early in the southern half of the state. Olive-sided Flycatchers also migrated very early, and an unusually early movement of hawks was documented at Hawk Ridge on 26 July.

The format for the species accounts is the same as the past several years. The key to the seasonal reports is shown below. Breeding records are classified based on the criteria found in The Loon 58:22 or in Green and Janssen (Minnesota Birds, p. 7). Counties for which positive breeding is documented for the first time since 1970 are in italics and identified as such according to updated versions of Janssen and Simonson's breeding maps (The Loon 56:167–186, 219–239 and 57:15–34). Divisions of the state into regions (e.g. west central, southeast) are based on those delineated in Janssen (Minnesota Birds, p. 25).

A final thanks to all the summer season reporters who make it possible to document avian distribution and migration. Thanks also to Peder Svingen and Kim Eckert for their assistance in preparing this report.