Heavy snowfall in southeast Minnesota (16" at LaCrescent) initiated winter on 2-3 December, but the remainder of the state remained mild until 20-26 December when below zero cold struck. Embarrass hit a chilling -45° on the 26th, and 0° high readings, even in the south, closed out the year.

January temperatures oscillated from average south and cold north the first ten days, with little precipitation, to a warm but dry spell from the 12th-19th with highs in the 20s and 30s, even in the north. The southeast remained under a snow blanket the entire month with little additional accumulation.

The last third of the month brought cold, dry conditions statewide.

February opened with an unprecedented warm spell with high temperatures reaching close to 60° in the southwest and well into the 40s in the north. Grand Marais reached 54° on the 3rd, a record by 20°! Below zero readings returned to the north on the 13th with heavy snowfalls finally occurring in the southwest and west central on the 18th and in the extreme north on the 21st. Temperatures alternated between warm and cold to end the period with more snow in the central on the 23rd. Most areas of the state experienced below average snowfall for the entire season except the southeast where depths were near average.

How weather affected birdlife this winter is not very clear. Certainly the mild December allowed many waterfowl and gulls to linger while low snow depths in most of the state accounted for the large numbers of longspurs, Homed Larks and various blackbirds. These conditions favored juncoes which showed widespread abundance but did not seem to favor American Tree Sparrows which declined.

Overall, nearly all passerines showed declines. My filit reaction is that the mild conditions did not force birds into feeding stations but personal experience in wandering St. Louis County backroads in February convinced me that there weren't many birds in the wildlands either.

Over 100 observers recorded 138 species (last three years' totals of 141, 144, 146), hopefully not a continuing trend. No reports were received of White-crowned Sparrow, Prairie Falcon, Hermit Thrush, rare gulls, or documented Hoary Redpolls. Comments on this winter's birdlife ranged from "quiet" and "small birds in general, especially winter finches, obviously down in numbers throughout northern Minnesota," to "one of the poorest winters for birds I can remember" and "this winter has been the pits for birds."

Highlights of the season included the largest documented invasions of Great Gray Owls and Gyrfalcons, the first winter record for Green Heron, good numbers of Northern Hawk Owls in the north, lingering waterfowl including grebes, pelicans(!), and gulls, single sightings of Marsh Wren, Yellow- headed Blackbird, Eastern Phoebe, and other gems.

A population explosion of Gray Partridge and Ring-necked Pheasants occurred across the southern counties and was part of a larger explosion which occurred in southwest Wisconsin and northern Iowa. These two species may have found the extreme drought of 1988 and the dry late spring of 1989 ideal conditions for raising large numbers of young. Conservation set-aside programs such as RIM undoubtedly helped but this abundance occurred even in areas with little fallow land.

Observers should note the continued decline in American Kestrel numbers with a similar pattern appearing with Red-tailed Hawks. Perhaps urbanization is having an impact in our long-established Christmas Bird Count circles. With the widespread decline in oak reproduction in the Upper Midwest, partially attributable to overgrazing which kills young oaks, and the lack of fire which allows brush buildup, shading out any young oaks, Red-headed Woodpeckers have been notably scarce in winter during recent years.

Finally, thanks to the many observers who birded the northern counties this year and provided valuable data. Several areas of the state would benefit from additional coverage in future winters: the four extreme southwestem counties; west central counties including Traverse, Big Stone, Grant and Stevens; and counties on the southern border of the conifer zone such as Morrison and northern Todd where such species as Northern Ravens are likely wintering but remain undocumented.

Finally, continue to report House Finch records since seldom does an invasive species spread so quickly. Note that House Finches are not printed on the seasonal report form and must be added by the observer.