The season began with somewhat below normal temperatures and light snowfall amounts. Daytime highs ranged from 0° to + 10° while nights dropped to as low as -20° in the north. Birds headed for feeders and Christmas Bird Count species totals were generally up with many "half-hardy" species recorded; e.g., towhees and Mourning Doves, but also a few real surprising lingerers. The punch spilled out of winter on 26 December when warm southwesterly winds blew in.

Weeks of unprecedented warmth ensued, particularly in the Twin Cities where no 0° day was recorded the entire month of January for the first time ever! No snow at all was recorded in the Twin Cities during January until the 21st when local snows occurred statewide. By late in the month, temperatures in the south were hitting the 40s.

February saw some increased snowfalls, especially in the north, but mild temperatures again were widespread with 20s and 30s in the north and 30s and 40s in the south. The Twin Cities recorded its 50th consecutive day above average with 60° recorded on the 12th.

The early December cold may have been responsible for keeping the species total at only 141, somewhat below the past two year totals of 144 and 146. Birds that survived the December cold or did not move further south found excellent prospects for surviving the remainder of the winter with low snow depths and more than the usual amount of available food and open water.

Many observers reported that birds left feeders in early January returning only sporadically, if at all, the rest of the winter.

Local conditions, perhaps food availability, may have accounted for the sporadic distribution of some species like Purple Finch and Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Pine Grosbeaks staged a major invasion to the fringes of the prairies and the southeast region. Common Redpolls and White-winged Crossbills were in above average numbers with small numbers of Hoary Redpolls reported.

This season was a good test for observing which species could tolerate cold temperatures as long as the ground remained bare.

Birds in this category included thousands of lingering Canada Geese and Mallards, Mourning Doves, Homed Larks and Lapland Longspurs, Bald Eagles (snow seems to stimulate their migrations), American Robins, various blackbirds, sparrows like Harris' and White-throated, towhees, and probably Northern Harriers. Perhaps, too, the six reports of Prairie Falcon belong in this category.

The December cold may have been responsible for the low numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets which are often common in snowy but moderate winters.

Gull-watching proved poor save for a handful of lucky Ivory Gull observers at Grand Marais. Outstanding rarities were scarce with the state's second Golden-crowned Sparrow reigning supreme in this category. Record numbers of Merlins and Sharp-shinned Hawks found plenty of passerines to feed upon.

House Finches seem destined to become regular feeder visitors across the southern half of the state within the next decade if the current expansion rates continue. Wild Wild Turkeys continue to expand their range in the southeast.

Over 100 observers contributed to this report plus many other Christmas Bird Count participants. Special thanks goes to people who note that a species overwintered, a note with considerably more biological implications than the mere sighting of a species once or twice at a locale. Thanks, too, to those of you who take time to travel to some of the nearly unreported northern counties. It is difficult to generalize about birds like winter finches when only one or two people report from vast areas of land like Lake, Koochiching , or Beltrami Counties. Hopefully, future years will find more observers visiting the backcountry of the North.