BIRDS OF CEDAR CREEK

 Redstarts are among the most common migrant warblers at Cedar Creek. Very few redstarts breed at Cedar Creek. This is somewhat surprising given their abundance in neighboring counties. Howitz has never found more than three pairs of redstarts at Cedar Creek in any given year, and since 1981, the only breeding season records were in 1990 and 1991.

 Bay-breasted Warblers are rather uncommon migrants at Cedar Creek.

 Black-and-White Warblers are common migrants and relatively uncommon breeders at Cedar Creek. They have bred in the moist woods near the lab and south of the eastern telemetry tower.

 Blackburnian Warblers are fairly common migrants at Cedar Creek. There is apparently a small breeding population, in the pine woods 400 m north of Corniea's cabin. In 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987, Howitz looked for them there and readily found singing males.

 Blackpolls are common migrants at Cedar Creek.

 The only Cedar Creek records of a Black-throated Blue Warbler are a male along Cedar Creek north of 24 on May 5, 1976 and a female in the wooded swamp 300 m south of Hernando's cabin on August 9, 1976.

 Black-throated Green Warblers are common migrants at Cedar Creek and probably rare to uncommon breeders. Black-throated Greens have been seen during the breeding season north of Lawrence's cabin, and west of Hernando's cabin. They may be regular in the pine woods 400 m north of Corneia's cabin. No positive breeding evidence has as yet been found, but this may be due to the absence of observers in the proper areas.

 Blue-winged Warblers have been breeding at Cedar Creek at least since 1976. The hybrid "Brewster's Warbler" is regularly seen at Cedar Creek, and a male Brewster's, probably the same bird, had a territory just north of the lab for four years. Bluewings have never been as common as Goldenwings at Cedar Creek, but apparently are increasing. They are most common along 24, but singing males have been found in oak woods near Fish Lake. The first Bluewing-Bluewing pair was found in 1983. Bluewings are displacing Goldenwings in much of the Goldenwing breeding range in the eastern U. S., but Goldenwings seem to be holding their own at Cedar Creek, at least through 1995.

 Canada Warblers are rather uncommon migrants at Cedar Creek. There are four summer records, June 23 and 30, 1978, June 20, 1980, and June 6, 1981 all near 24. There is no positive breeding evidence.

 Cape May Warblers are irregularly seen migrants at Cedar Creek. Howitz never saw one in 10 years at Cedar Creek until August 1986, when on the 14th he saw 3 birds, on the 15th he saw 4 birds, and on the 30th he saw 5 birds. Since 1986, he has seen Cape May's nearly every year.

 The only records of a Cerulean Warbler at Cedar Creek are a bird east of the duck pens on May 23, 1974 and a singing male in the oak woods east of the old Peterson farm July 2, 1993.

 Chestnut-sided Warblers are common spring and fall migrants at Cedar Creek. During the breeding season, a few birds are present in forest edge habitat, though frequently in different places in different years. In 1987 at least 10 males were present. In every year it is likely that at least one pair attmpts breeding.

 Yellowthroats are abundant in long grassy vegetation at Cedar Creek. They are especially common in wet areas with an open canopy. Yellowthroats may be the most abundant bird at Cedar Creek during the breeding season.

 Connecticut Warblers are uncommon to rare migrants at Cedar Creek.

 There were no summer records of Golden-winged Warblers or Blue-winged Warblers at Cedar Creek before 1976. However, since 1976 Goldenwings have been a common and conspicuous breeding species at Cedar Creek. Most pairs are within 100 m of 24 or along the north-south road. Like Bluewings, Goldenwings also appear to be increasing at Cedar Creek, expanding into new areas. In 1987 two singing males were along the southeast shore of Fish Lake. Nesting success appears to be quite good, since several broods have been seen in some years. After fledging, broods can travel far from their nesting areas, and have been found east of East Bethel Boulevard in areas where they almost certainly did not nest.

 The only Cedar Creek records of a Hooded Warbler are a male singing in the oaks 500 m southeast of the lab on June 16, 1980 and a male singing just west of East Bethel Boulevard on June 10, 1993.

 Magnolia Warblers are uncommon to common migrants at Cedar Creek.

 Mourning Warblers are uncommon migrants and rare breeders at Cedar Creek. A pair bred about 500 m northnortheast of Corneia's cabin in 1954, and a pair bred in the moist woods about 700 m south of the lab in 1979. In June 1987 males were in two locations along the Lundgren Branch and north of Allison Savannah.

 Nashville Warblers are very common migrant warblers at Cedar Creek. Only the Yellow-rumped Warbler is more abundant in migration. Nashville Warblers are common breeders in the bogs and some of the swampy areas at Cedar Creek. Nashvilles breed in the boggy areas south and north of Lawrence's cabin, the black spruce bog, and in the bogs around Ice Lake. In some years Nashvilles also breed in some of the small aspen stands at Cedar Creek.

 Parula Warblers are rather uncommon migrants at Cedar Creek.

 Northern Waterthrushes are common migrants at Cedar Creek, and presumably breed in small numbers along the shores of Cedar Bog Lake and in the boggy area southeast of Lawrence's cabin. A pair was feeding young on July 7, 1979 near the northwest shore of Cedar Bog Lake. Cedar Creek is by far the farthest south that Northern Waterthrushes are known to nest in Minnesota.

 Orange-crowned Warblers are fairly common migrants at Cedar Creek. Orange-crowns generally arrive in the spring at about the same time as Palm Warblers, after the Yellow-rumped Warblers, and before the rest of the warbler species.

 Ovenbirds are a common nesting species in the moist woods at Cedar Creek and breed less commonly in the oak woods.

 Palm Warblers are common migrants in the early spring and the fall.

 The only Pine Warblers recorded at Cedar Creek were a bird seen south of Cedar Bog Lake on August 16, 1976, a pair seen June 12, 1987 in the pines near Corneia's, and a bird east of East Bethel Boulevard May 10, 1993. They may breed in the pine woods in the northern portions of Cedar Creek.

 On May 31, 1994, Howitz found a singing male Prairie Warbler in the trees between a marsh edge and a firebreak east of East Bethel Boulevard.

 Tennessee Warblers are among the most abundant migrants at Cedar Creek. Occasional very early fall migrants pass through Cedar Creek in July.

 Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most abundant migrant warbler at Cedar Creek. They are the first warbler to arrive in the spring and the last to leave in the fall.

 Yellow Warblers breed fairly commonly along the edges of some of the large marshes at Cedar Creek, especially the large marshes west and south of Fish Lake and the marsh east of the north-south road.

 Wilson's Warbler is a rather uncommon migrant at Cedar Creek.