Wildlife Along the St. Croix River
Wildlife abounds within St. Croix National Scenic Riverway due to diverse and high quality habitats, which create a wealth of wildlife viewing opportunities along the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers. In general, animals are most active in the morning and are best viewed at that time. Muskrats and Beaver are likely to be seen around dusk or dawn. Frogs, Whip-poor-wills and owls can be heard at night along with an occasional coyote or rarely, a wolf howling in the northern third of the Riverway. An early morning paddle is likely to find white-tailed deer coming down to the river for a drink of water.
Watch the spring skies for migrating birds over the next few weeks. Spring sees the return of the Turkey Vulture to our area. Look up and see if you can identify them. Their impressive 6 foot, V shaped wingspan and red head are helpful to identification.
Three habitats converge along the St. Croix River: northern coniferous forest, eastern deciduous forest, and prairieland which makes it a unique spot for birdwatching. There are over 240 species of birds that live along the riverway, including uncommon and specialty species filling early morning paddles with the beautiful sound of birds.
Watch for these 5 birds found along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway!
- Bald Eagles
- Osprey
- Common Mergansers
- Great Blue Heron
- Turkey Vultures
You may also want to keep your eye out for these birds from April – June: Red-Breasted Merganser, Wood Duck, Belted Kingfisher, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Red-Eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, and Song Sparrow. Of course, many of these are more often heard than seen so keep quiet and move slowly to increase your chances of seeing them.
