The mild spring (excepting the tornadoes, of course!) was followed by very “typical” summer weather. June was perhaps a bit cooler than average statewide, but July was about as close to the norm as it can possibly be. For both months, precipitation was within one to three inches of the average.

Seasonal Highlights

A remarkable total of 272 species was observed for the season, one short of the previous record set in 1991, and well above the previous ten-year average of 265 species. Seasonal reports and/or breeding information were submitted by 126 individuals, a slight decline from last year's record high. Contributors sent in 1145 nest or brood cards, and breeding data were collected for 172 species (well above average in both cases). Top contributors of breeding information included Jean Segerstrom & Mark Newstrom (173 nest/brood cards), Jim Lind (127), Jon Little & Jacob Langeslag (101), Michael North (79), Roger Schroeder (71), and Russell Hofstead (63). Special recognition goes to the members of the Hiawatha Valley Audubon for once again providing extensive breeding documentation from Winona County. A very hearty thanks to all contributors for your outstanding time and effort!

Among the many records of note in 1998, four Accidental species stand out. A single Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, initially discovered in mid-May, remained at a wetland in Steele County well into June. In part because of this well-documented record of an unbanded bird, the status of this species has been changed from A_o (Accidental, origin uncertain) to A (Accidental) on the Minnesota checklist. There is evidence nationwide that this species will likely be found again in the future (The Loon 67:247–248). Also discovered in May, and staying well into June, was a Bewick's Wren in Sherburne County, representing the first record of this species in the state since it appeared in the same county (!) in 1990. Bewick's Wren was once considered a Casual species in Minnesota, but in 1992 the status was changed to Accidental, and the lack of records in recent years certainly suggests the change was appropriate. New to the summer checklist was the Painted Bunting discovered at a feeder in Scott County; all of the previous five records in the state had occurred in May. Another Accidental species appearing this summer was an Eurasian Tree Sparrow at a feeder in Clay County. Only the second record for the state, this bird was present for almost a month, proving more cooperative to birders than the first record in 1990 (see The Loon 62:175–177 and Birders Journal 1:298–307 for reviews of the North American status of this species).

Despite the large number of species reported, only one Casual species was discovered this summer. A Mississippi Kite was observed in northeastern Minnesota in late June, representing the first summer record for this species. It is very possible that there were more; no fewer than six summer observations were initially reported, but only one was adequately documented! As always, observers are reminded to take careful notes when an unusual bird is encountered.

Of note this year were several species documented for the first time in the summer. In addition to the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mississippi Kite, and Painted Bunting already mentioned, an extremely late Thayer's Gull was documented at Duluth, not only in early June but also on the 30th! Summer records may seem unlikely for a “winter” gull, but our understanding of the status of many gull species has changed quite dramatically in recent years — as an example, see The Loon 68:14–34. Another species making its first summer appearance was a singing male Worm-eating Warbler in Nicollet County; this species is more likely to be encountered in late April or May.

Other records of interest this summer included several reports of Red-throated Loons lingering well into June on Lake Superior; a single record of the now-regular Clark's Grebe; no fewer than seven separate observations of Snow Geese, primarily in the west; an immature Tundra Swan in northwestern Minnesota; a late White-winged Scoter, also found in the northwest region; a Ferruginous Hawk in western Minnesota; a Carolina Wren discovered at Fort Snelling State Park; two reports of Hooded Warblers at traditional sites in southeastern Minnesota; and a very late migrant Harris's Sparrow found, of all places, in Rock County.

Noteworthy was the better-than-average movement of shorebirds statewide. Thirty-two species were documented, including species not always seen in recent summers such as American Avocet, Whimbrel, Red Knot, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Red-necked Phalarope. Exceptionally large numbers of Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, and Dunlins were reported. On 5–8 June, Karl Bardon was able to find 22 species of shorebirds in northwestern Minnesota. Also making a good showing were the waterfowl; for example, Trumpeter Swans continued to breed successfully, the Canada Goose was as omnipresent as ever, and the Hooded Merganser was reported in a record number of counties. In contrast to the waterbirds just mentioned, several species within the heron family were scarce. American Bittern, Least Bittern, and Black-crowned Night-Heron were reported in fewer counties than normal. Only one sighting each of Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron was reported, while reports of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were limited to two. The exception was the above-average number of reports for Great Blue Heron.

Of special interest was the extraordinary 50+ singing Black-throated Blue Warblers found in Lake County this summer. Examples of other species reported more commonly than usual were Wild Turkey, Sandhill Crane, Winter Wren, Blue-winged Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Nelson's Sparrow. More than usual numbers of Henslow's Sparrows were found this year; see The Loon 70:153–154 for a review of this species' recent status. On the flip side, for some unknown reason there was a big drop in reports of Western Grebes; also showing declines were Sora, Caspian Tern, Acadian Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Vesper Sparrow, and Dickcissel.

Format, Maps, and Acknowledgments

The format for the species accounts is similar to that of recent years. The key to the seasonal reports is located on page 16. Breeding records are classified based on the criteria found in The Loon 58:22 or in Minnesota Birds, p.7 (Green and Janssen 1975). Each species having at least one positive nesting record in 1998 has an accompanying map indicating the counties in which the records occurred. Suspected or probable nesting reports are not mapped. 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 County Nesting Records of Minnesota Birds (Hertzel and Janssen, M.O.U. Occasional Papers: Number 2, 1998). Divisions of the state into regions (e.g. west central, southeast) are based on those delineated in Birds in Minnesota, p. 25 (Janssen 1987).

A final thanks to all of the summer season reporters who make it possible to document avian distribution and migration. Thanks also to Anthony Hertzel for compiling the Minnesota Rare Bird Hotline reports and preparing the breeding maps, and to Peder Svingen and Kim Eckert for their assistance in preparing this report.