BIRDS OF THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY 



179 



tation associated with seasonally, semipermanently, and permanently 

 flooded wetlands. 



Song Sparrow [Melospiza melodia) 



Status: Regular migrant, nesting species, and winter resident. 



Migration: Abundant migrant throughout the Valley. Spring migrants 

 arrive in the Western Upland 20 March to 1 April and the Northern High- 

 land 1-10 April (earliest— 13 March 1954, Burnett County). Peak spring 

 migration occurs 15 April to 1 May. Peak fall migration is 1-10 September 

 in the Northern Highland and 25 September to 10 October in the Western 

 Upland. Departure from the Northern Highland occurs 15-25 October (lat- 

 est— 16 November 1975, Burnett County) and elsewhere by 5 November. 



Nesting Season Distribution: Common nesting species throughout the 

 Valley. Breeding Bird Survey data (Table 8) suggest that the song sparrow 

 is the most abundant breeding sparrow in the Valley. Jackson (1943) re- 

 ported that the song sparrow was a common nesting bird "at every locality 

 visited" in northwestern Wisconsin in 1919. Goddard (1972) reported a 

 breeding density of 40.3 pairs per 40 ha in the lower Kinnickinnic River 

 Valley, Pierce County. Goddard also reported that the song sparrow was the 

 second most abundant breeding bird among 82 species nesting in that 

 valley. 



Winter: Regularly occurring species during winter along the lower St. Croix 

 River. Most birds are associated with feeding stations in residential areas. 



Habitat: Nearly unrestricted in nesting habitat use. Important habitats are 

 Shrub Carr, Alder Thicket, Prairie Wetlands, retired agricultural fields, Old 

 Field Community, highway rights-of-way, and brushy openings in upland 

 deciduous forest. Coniferous habitats are used to a lesser degree. Important 

 among these are Black Spruce-Tamarack Bog and Lowland Coniferous 

 Forest. 



Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) 

 Status: Regular migrant and winter resident. 



Migration: Abundant migrant in the Western Upland, Central Plain, and un- 

 forested regions of the Northern Highland; rare in the heavily forested 

 regions of the Northern Highland. Fall migrants arrive in the Northern 

 Highland 15-20 September and the Western Upland 25 September to 1 Oc- 

 tober. Peak fall migration occurs 15 October to 15 November and most have 

 departed by 1 December. Spring migrants arrive in the Western Upland 

 1-5 March and the Northern Highland about 15 March. Peak spring migra- 

 tion occurs 20 March to 10 April and departure by 10 May. 



Habitat: An open country bird using primarily heavily grazed tame pasture, 

 fall plowed agricultural fields, corn and oat stubble, and the exposed edges 

 of Prairie Wetlands. 



Winter: Uncommon winter resident of the Western Upland and Central 



