rainiest September on record and second wettest month ever. But the fires 
were out. 
The first snowfall of up to 4" came on 4 October and Saranac Lake was 
down to 25° on the 7th, but this was followed by 10 days of Indian 
Summer. A half-inch of rain 14 October fell as 2" of snow at higher ele¬ 
vations, and Saranac Lake was again nippy with 18° by 19 October. But 
mild weather then returned, with Plattsburgh 63° at month's end. 
November continued warm, sunny and dry. Monthly temperatures 
were 5.7° above normal, providing the third warmest November on 
record, with 49% possible sunshine versus the usual 30%. Monthly rain¬ 
fall, normally over 3", was just 1.86". Mineville had 2" of snow 12 
November, while a snowstorm across northern and higher areas on 16 
November left a foot at Lyon Mountain, 9" at Whippleville and 6" at Lake 
Placid and Tupper Lake. Most melted by 24 November, when 
Plattsburgh tied the record high temperature of 55°, accompanied by 
winds to 45 mph. At season's end, Champlain stood at 96.06' and 44°, 
while the air temperature dropped to 1° in Saranac Lake the night of 30 
November. 
Our greatest debt this fall was to a group of Vermont observers who 
provided reports of Glossy Ibis, an interesting assortment of geese and 
pioneering work on jaeger flights on Lake Champlain. Ted Murin, in 
Vermont, noted two immature Glossy Ibises wearing left-leg bands on 
the Colchester side of the old RR crossing to South Hero 4-5 September, 
undoubtedly banded as nestlings on Four Brothers 23 July. On 6 October, 
Mike Peterson saw a Glossy Ibis flush with Ring-billed Gulls from a 
cornfield south of Rouses Point as the Amtrak "Adirondack" passed. 
This northward dispersal, similar to that of other Four Brothers water- 
birds, may explain five single sightings of this ibis in the Montreal area 
between 1 August and 25 September. 
A Greater White-fronted Goose spotted at Cumberland Head by Jim 
McGraw was a good find, as were multiple sightings of Ross's Geese 
reported by Dave Hoag from Point au Roche. Hoag reported a variety of 
small forms of Canada Geese from the same state park, while Jan Trzeciak 
had another small race among the Canadas at Malone. 
Perhaps 25 years ago, Jerry Rosenband proposed that a late fall lake- 
watch from Split Rock would discover a significant southbound jaeger 
flight through the historic narrows. Private ownership, however, pre¬ 
cluded any action from the NYS side. This autumn, though, a watch was 
maintained opposite Split Rock, from Thompson's Point, VT. 
Rosenband's prescience was proven by sightings of all three jaeger 
species and, happily, many crossed into Essex County waters. On the NY 
The Kingbird 2000 March; 50(1) 85 
