MISSISSIPPI FLYWA Y 
MINNESOTA 
Weather and Water Conditions - February and early March were mild, 
except for a snow storm on March 12 and 13, and the most spectacular 
spring migration in many years occurred in southwestern Minnesota. 
Between April 30 and May 10, however, the weather was very bad with 
snowfall and blizzard conditions. In the Ely area, the snowfall was the 
heaviest in 40 years. Fifteen to 25 inches of snowfall was recorded in 
Koochiching County, and 11 inches in Beltrami County. Since it is 
believed that nesting was underway at the time of the storm, it is likely 
that there was considerable nest loss as a result. 
The late spring snow caused high water during the early part of 
the nesting period, and this was followed by continuing heavy rains through 
May and June in various parts of the State. On May 23, 2.0 inches of rain 
fell in the Albert Lea area; on May 30, 3.04 inches fell around Brainerd; 
on June 7, 2.24 inches at Fergus Falls; 1.0 inches at Thief River Falls on 
June 11, and during the period June 14-16, high winds and rain were 
general in westcentral and northwestern Minnesota. Again on June 18, 
19, and 20, rains were general in the State with flooding of pastures 
and croplands. The index to water areas obtained during the breeding 
pair survey in May indicated that. there were 13% more water areas © 
present than in 1953, and.44% more than the average index for 
1949-1953. 
Breeding Population Indices - A total of 466.5 square miles was 
Sampled by ground transect method, The sample was distributed 
throughout a 43,125 square mile area, including all prairie portions 
of the State and a fringe of the northwest wooded portions. The 
following table presents the information collected. 
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