BIRDS OF THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY 



115 



well to ornamental plantings in residential areas and is a familiar "back 

 yard" bird, responding especially well to artificial cavities. 



Winter Wren {Troglodytes troglodytes) 



Status: Regular migrant and nesting species, two winter records. 



Migration: Uncommon migrant throughout the Valley. Spring migrants 

 arrive in the Western Upland 30 March to 10 April, reaching the Northern 

 Highland 10-15 April (earliest— 27 March 1942, Burnett County; Feeney 

 1942). Peak spring migration through the Valley occurs 15 April to 1 May 

 and departure from non-nesting areas occurs by 10 May. Fall migration 

 begins in late August and the first migrants arrive in the Western Upland 

 10-15 September. Peak fall abundance occurs 25 September to 15 October 

 and departure by 1 November. 



Nesting Season Distribution: Uncommon nesting species restricted pri- 

 marily to the Northern Highland (Table 5). Hofslund (1952) reported a nest 

 with four young at Solon Springs, Douglas County. Rare and casual else- 

 where during the nesting season. Green and Janssen (1975) mentioned sum- 

 mer records but no broods from Washington County. Several recent records 

 suggest that the winter wren is probably estabUshed as a nesting species in 

 northeastern Chisago County. Longley (19736) reported winter wrens along 

 Lawrence Creek, Chisago County, on 9 June 1973, and BratUe (1976) ob- 

 served a winter wren nest at the same location on 16 June 1976. 



Winter: There are two records (1 January 1968 and 1973) from the St. Croix 

 County portion of the Afton CBC. 



Habitat: The winter wren is a characteristic nesting species of Lowland 

 Coniferous Forest dominated by black spruce, balsam fir, and yellow birch. 

 The Chisago County nesting area was described by Longley (19736) as a 

 hardwood forest consisting of sugar maple, yellow birch, American elm, ash, 

 white pine, and red pine. 



Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 

 Status: Casual migrant and summer resident. 



Records: S. D. Robbins observed Bewick's wrens near North Hudson, St. 

 Croix County, on four occasions: 5-17 May 1963; 13 May 1964; 7 May 1965; 

 and 17 June 1961. Green and Janssen (1975) mentioned that Bewick's wren 

 had been observed during the summer in Washington County. 



Carolina Wren {Thyrothorus ludovicianus) 



Status: Casual migrant, nesting species, and winter visitor. 



Migration Records: Roberts (1938) reported the observation of a single Caro- 

 hna wren at Woodbury, Washington County, on 30 May 1935. One was ob- 

 served at St. Croix Falls, Polk County (no date), during 1940 (Kumlien and 



