BIRDS OF THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY 



67 



Nesting Season Distribution: Fairly common nesting species in prairie wet- 

 lands of St. Croix, Polk, and Washington counties. Uncommon to rare 

 nesting species elsewhere in the Valley. One nest record was reported for 

 Pine County in 1969 (Russell 1969). 



Winter: One individual was observed on 30 December 1978 in Washington 

 County (Suburban St. Paul CBC). 



Habitat: Virginia rails use a variety of wetland classes for nesting. Greatest 

 densities occur in seasonally and semipermanently flooded wetlands with 

 cattail, river bulrush, and phragmites the predominant vegetation. Nesting 

 Virginia rails are occasionally found in Northern Sedge Meadow habitats, 

 along well- vegetated streams and in Shrub Carr wetlands. 



Sora {Porzana Carolina) 



Status: Regular migrant and nesting species. 



Migration: Common migrant in prairie wetlands of St. Croix, Polk, and 

 Washington counties and at Crex Meadows in Burnett County. Fairly 

 common to uncommon elsewhere. Spring migrants arrive about 25 April 

 (earUest— 6 April 1964, Burnett County), reaching peak abundance 

 15-20 May. Peak abundance during fall migration occurs 10 September to 

 10 October and departure by 5 November. 



Nesting Season Distribution: Common nesting species in prairie wetlands in 

 the Western Upland and Central Plain, and at Crex Meadows. Uncommon 

 elsewhere. 



Habitat: Soras use a variety of wetland types for nesting. Highest densities 

 occur in seasonally and semipermanently flooded wetlands where cattail, 

 river bulrush, and softstem bulrush are the predominant vegetation types. 

 Soras also use wetlands that are more acidic, containing various species of 

 waterUhes and pickerelweed. During high water periods, nesting soras also 

 use sedge meadows. 



Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) 

 Status: Casual migrant and summer resident. 



Migration: S. D. Robbins observed this species twice in central St. Croix 

 County: 26 April 1961 and 17 May 1963. At Crex Meadows, Burnett 

 County, apparent migrants were observed on 25 May 1976, 30 May 1977, 

 and 28 May 1978. R. Hoffman observed one at the Fish Lake WildUfe Area, 

 Burnett County, on 26 May 1979. 



Nesting Season Distribution: The first record of the yellow rail in the Valley 

 was obtained on 23 June 1962, when N. R. Stone observed a single bird at 

 Crex Meadows (Robbins 1963). During the summers of 1976 and 1977, 

 yellow rails were again heard calUng in a large Northern Sedge Meadow at 

 Crex Meadows. Although these birds were observed during normal nesting 

 periods, neither nests nor young were observed. Continued observations at 



