302 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Shore Birds at Lake Roland and Looh Baven, 

 Baltimore Gc, Md. 



Lake Roland, one of our Eeseivoivs, 

 is situated seven miles from Baltimore, 

 on the line of the Northern Central 

 railroad. The elevation of water sur- 

 face is 225 feet above tide water and at 

 high Avater level it covers an area of 116 

 acres. 



It is supplied by seven streams, vary- 

 ing in size fi'om one of only a few inch- 

 es in width to one of about twenty feet 

 wide. 



It is well stocked with Black Bass 

 and Carp, but they get so much natural 

 food that it is slow sport fishing for 

 them. 



The long drouth in August and Sep- 

 tember of the present year (1893) made 

 the water reach a low level of 12 ft. 9 

 in. below its normal depth, and laid 

 bare a large expanse of mud flats about 

 the upper end. These have been cov- 

 ered all summer by Shore birds of var- 

 ious kinds. 



Another of our Resei'voirs is Loch 

 Raven, M hich is about 11 J miles from 

 Baltimore and is an enhirgement of the 

 Gunpowder Falls, formed by damming 

 it up. 



The following are some of the birds 

 noted at the two lakes from time to 

 time, between August 19th to Septem- 

 ber 4th. 



Fodilymbns ^>of7icep.s'. Piedbillcd 

 Grel)e. Three small Grebes Avere seen 

 about 200 yards out on the lake and 

 I took them to be of this kind. 



Skrna ardiUarum. Lea.st Tern. — 

 'Several thnes while watching the birds 

 I saw a pair of these little Terns at 

 Lake Roland. They spent most of the 

 time Hying about over the water, dart- 

 ing down to it at times in the shallow 

 places. Sometimes .they would spend 

 a long lime standing in the water 

 where it was only an inch or two deep. 

 Oiuo I saw one of them dai't down 

 rk of small Sandpipers 



scattering them as if thry had seen a 

 Hawk. 



Anas obscvri. Black Duck. — A 

 young female of this species was shot 

 at tlie head of Lake Roland, August 

 28th. 



Ardca herodias. (ireat Blue Heron. 

 Almost the whole summer a Great Blue 

 Heron remained about Lake Roland, 

 and once I saw a pair of them. They 

 Avere generally absent from about 10 

 a. m. till 3 p. m., when they would put 

 in their appearance and go to fishing 

 along the edge of the mud. On several 

 occasions I also saw one at Loch Raven. 



Ardea virescetis. Green Heron. — One 

 or tvA'o could always be seen about 

 Lake Roland, and I found them much 

 more plentiful at Loch Raven. 



hiycticorax nycUcorax na'fius. Black- 

 ei'owned Night Heron. — August 19th 

 in walking through the woods near 

 Lake Roland I flushed a pair from the 

 trees. I think several pairs of these 

 birds nested in the vicinity of the lake 

 although I was unable to find the place. 



Tringa miimtilla. Least Sandpii)er. 

 On several occasions I saw about twen- 

 ty-tive of these little fellows feeding 

 with a Hock of larger Ijii-ds of Aarioiis 

 kinds. 



Eretihetes pusillus. Semipalmated 

 Sandpiper. — On August 19th there 

 were only seven of these birds at Lake 

 Roland, as far as I could ascertain. On 

 the 20th there must have been between 

 200 and 300, then they gradually disap- 

 peared until on September 4th there 

 wei'e only about tweutA' to be seen. On 

 August 20tli I saw leu at Loch Raven 

 and shot one. 



Totanus Dielanoleticus. Greater Yel- 

 low-legs. — The only record I have Avas 

 a single one seen at Loch Raven Aug- 

 ust 2Gth. It AA'as very AA^ild and I Avas 

 not able to secure it. 



Tolanusjlrivipcs. Yellow-legs. — Aug- 

 ust 19th I saAV a Hock feeding on mud 

 Hats at upper end of Lake Roland. 

 While I Avas Avatching them one over 



