Rarities this winter season included one Accidental (Ivory Gull) and six Casual species (King Eider, Rufous Hummingbird, Pomarine Jaeger, Slaty-backed Gull, Barn Owl, Eurasian Tree Sparrow), as well as two first winter-season records (Pomarine Jaeger, Henslow’s Sparrow).

Similar to the previous four winters, there was little evidence in southern Minnesota of an early influx of waterfowl in late February. The last mild February was 2017, when northbound waterfowl were much in evidence by mid-month. This year, there were only a few reports of early migrant geese and ducks at the end of the month. At least three different Mute Swans were reported, somewhat fewer than in most recent winters. One in Scott County was photographed wearing a thin purple leg band, indicating captive origin. In November, another with a red leg band was photographed in Hennepin County. The origin of these banded swans remains undetermined. For the first winter in at least a decade, there were no Mute Swan reports from the Mississippi River counties southeast of the Twin Cities. The state’s second-highest count of Trumpeter Swans was made along the Otter Tail River near Rush Lake in early January. The total of 1,700 surpassed all but one of the highest totals from previous years at the former swan feeding area in Monticello, Wright County.

As usual, an impressive variety of ducks overwintered at Blue Lake W.T.P. in Scott County. At least sixteen species were reported after December, including state midwinter high counts of five species (Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, and Hooded Merganser). A female King Eider was seen off and on from early December to early January at Lake Pepin. This was only the second report of this species in the southern half of the state. Two species of scoters were reported (White-winged and Black), and all were “inland” away from Lake Superior. Long-tailed Ducks were reported from four counties away from Lake Superior in addition to the three Lake Superior counties. The highest count of Common Goldeneyes in over a decade (3,300) and the second-highest ever was made in early January at the east end of Lake Pepin.

Wild Turkeys continue to thrive statewide, with reports from a season-record 80 counties. Eurasian Collared-Doves were reported from 63 counties, tying the record set last winter. Although reports included several far northwestern counties, this species remains absent or nearly absent from Northeast and North-central counties in the winter season. Providing only the second winter report and record-late date, a female Rufous Hummingbird lingered from November until 4 December in Duluth. There are only a few midwinter reports of Virginia Rail in the state, so it was surprising that up to three individuals overwintered through February at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge in Hennepin County. One to two were seen regularly throughout the season by many observers, and three were observed there in early February. The February reports were the first in 27 years.

A dark juvenile Pomarine Jaeger photographed in Sherburne County on 1 December was the first winter-season record of any jaeger species. The following day, another (or perhaps the same) dark immature jaeger was photographed in Ramsey County, but photos did not permit specific identification. Providing the first record for the state in six years, an immature Ivory Gull was seen by many over a ten-day period in January along Park Point, Duluth. Other gull records of note included an adult Slaty-backed Gull in early December (continuing from late November) in Lake Pepin. This was the first report of this species away from Lake Superior in over 12 years. At least five Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reported, all from south counties, This extended the string of reports of this species to 14 consecutive winters. Five Glaucous Gulls in December at Black Dog Lake was the highest count away from Lake Superior in nine years. Away from Lake Superior, no gulls of any species were reported after mid January. American White Pelicans were reported from 13 counties, one fewer than last winter’s record. A few of these birds had injured wings, but some that persisted beyond December appeared healthy and were seen to fly. A Barn Owl photographed in a Houston County pole shed in January was only the fourth winter-season report in over 60 years.

American Three-toed Woodpeckers and Black-backed Woodpeckers were scarce this winter, with observations from only two and five counties, respectively. These were the lowest totals since 2012 for Black-backed and 2013 for American Three-toed woodpeckers. In contrast, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker numbers reached a season-high total of sixteen counties with overwintering birds observed in four south counties. There were no observations of either Gyrfalcon or Prairie Falcon this winter, both of which are sporadic in their appearances. On the other hand, both Merlins and American Kestrels reached season-high county totals, 47 for the former and 60 for the latter.

Highly unusual were reports of late lingering Eastern Phoebes in Dakota and Ramsey counties, the first winter reports since 2007. Several other tardy migrants also were found in December. An American Pipit was photographed in Dakota County on 18 December, only the fourth ever for the winter season. Two observations of Clay-colored Sparrows in December were the first since 2017. A late Orange-crowned Warbler was seen on 3 December and a Common Yellowthroat survived at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington until at least 22 December. At Old Cedar Avenue Bridge in Hennepin County, a Marsh Wren lingered until 12 December. Two reports of Lincoln’s Sparrow, one as late as 18 December, were the first in five years. But most remarkable of all, without question, was a hardy Henslow’s Sparrow found on 14 December in Duluth Township, St. Louis County. That bird exceeded the previous late record for Minnesota by 55 days.

Common Ravens continued their steady progression southward in the state with reports from a season-high 16 south counties, including winter county records in Carver and Kandiyohi. Joining the state from the opposite direction, Eurasian Tree Sparrows were observed in a season-high four counties, including a new county record for Renville. They have now been observed in four consecutive winters, following a period in which there was only one report over a ten-year period. This species is currently listed as Casual on the MOU checklist, but seems likely to move up to Regular at the next update.

Several strong showings occurred among our winter passerine visitors. Bohemian Waxwings were found in six south counties, the highest total since 2010, including a first county record for Nobles. Individual counts of 2,000 or more birds were noted in both St. Louis and Cook. Another county first was recorded in Goodhue for Townsend’s Solitaire, which was observed in 21 counties statewide. A Yellow Medicine sighting of Varied Thrush also marked a county first for that species. Observations of White-winged Crossbills in 69 counties established a new season-high. It was a banner year for redpolls. Common Redpolls were observed in all 87 counties for the first time in MOU records. Hoary Redpolls were reported from 60 counties, far exceeding the previous high of 45; individuals in Chippewa and Murray established new county records for this species.

Weather summary: Statewide average temperatures this season were 2.3ºF above normal in December, but 6º and 6.8º below normal in January and February, respectively. In mid-December, temperatures reached the mid-60s south, but by the end of the month Warren saw ?35º. The coldest temperature of the season was ?44º, reached at Baudette and Warren on 1 January and at Kabetogama on 14–15 February.

The wet fall season continued into December, when four different storms swept through the state. On the 4th–6th much of the north saw 6–12 inches of snow. On the 10th–11th, portions of the south received 12 to 18 inches. A few days later, a swarm of 20 tornados struck the South-central and Southeast regions. The Central and East-central regions received the brunt of a fourth storm system on the 26th–27th that dropped as much as 12–18 inches of snow. A series of clipper-type storms moved into the state from the Dakotas in January; the largest on the 14th brought six to eleven inches of snow to western and South-central regions. In February, a major storm brought rain and sleet south and blizzard conditions to the Northwest on the 11th. Another storm on the 21st–22nd carpeted the state with snow, including high totals of 20" at Park Point and 18" at Little Falls.

Documented reports still under review: Eurasian Tree Sparrow 12/20 Clay.

Insufficiently documented records of Regular species: Blue-winged Teal 1/28 Dakota (midwinter date, incomplete details); Barrow’s Goldeneye 1/5 Sherburne (incomplete details for this Rare Regular); Swainson’s Hawk 12/23 Meeker (extraordinarily late); Lincoln’s Sparrow 12/5 Rice (species is barely Casual in winter).

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Dave Cahlander for building and maintaining the seasonal reports submission and production web pages (http://moumn.org/moureports/season.php) through which most of this data is collected and organized. In addition to the data collected through this MOU website, we are grateful for the data provided for the creation of this report by eBird (http://www.ebird.org, accessed March 2022). Steve Weston, serving as Minnesota CBC coordinator, compiled vast amounts of data from 83 counts. Medians of recent arrivals and departures are based on published and unpublished seasonal report data from 1996 through 2020. Weather data is from the Minnesota DNR’s HydroClim Minnesota newsletter (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hydroclim/index.html). Our appreciation goes out to all our contributors, especially those who respond to our requests for details and who submit observations online.