Thunderstorms rumbled just before dawn on Saturday, May 18, but the rain had passed by 7:30 am when birders gathered at Wild River State Park for our chapter’s annual Dayle and Bonnie DeClercq Memorial Bird Walk. The morning’s rain put a damper on the number of participants, but five of us set out on a walk exploring the wetlands, meadows, stream channels, and St. Croix riverfront in the vicinity of the boat launch parking lot. We zigged and zagged as calling birds drew us first in one direction and then another. Warbler species had largely already migrated through the area and an early leaf out made spotting birds a challenge, but we still managed to put together a nice list of 46 species during an enjoyable two hour exploration. The highlight species of the morning was a Black-billed Cuckoo that we not only heard repeatedly give its distinct call, but which also offered us a brief glimpse before it disappeared once more into the undergrowth. Seen on the walk:
| Canada Goose |
| Trumpeter Swan |
| Blue-winged Teal |
| Mallard |
| Ruffed Grouse |
| Mourning Dove |
| Black-billed Cuckoo |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Killdeer |
| Spotted Sandpiper |
| Solitary Sandpiper |
| Great Blue Heron |
| Turkey Vulture |
| Bald Eagle |
| Northern Flicker |
| Eastern Phoebe |
| Eastern Kingbird |
| Yellow-throated Vireo |
| Blue Jay |
| American Crow |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
| Tree Swallow |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow |
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
| Gray Catbird |
| Eastern Bluebird |
| Swainson’s Thrush |
| Wood Thrush |
| American Robin |
| American Goldfinch |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Clay-colored Sparrow |
| Field Sparrow |
| Song Sparrow |
| Baltimore Oriole |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| Brown-headed Cowbird |
| Blue-winged Warbler |
| Tennessee Warbler |
| Common Yellowthroat |
| Yellow Warbler |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler |
| Wilson’s Warbler |
| Scarlet Tanager |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
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