Study of the Avifauna of Lake Erie Islands. l-tT 



Pisobia hairdi. — Baird's Sandpiper. 



These birds gave us a good deal of anxiety for tlae first few days 

 after tlieir first appeai'ance. but the capture of several and the re- 

 mains of others which some bird of prey, probably a Sharp-shinned 

 Hawk, regularly left, furnished certain means of identification 

 until the characteristic markings were learned. The first seen 

 was a flock of twelve on August 24, 1910, and from that date until 

 September 7, the date on which we left the island, from two to a 

 dozen were found on the beac'h usually somewhere on the sand 

 spit. After the first few days they were not at all wary, but per- 

 mitted one to approach them within a few feet. Some bird of prey 

 took daily toll from their numbers, sometimes as many as six indi- 

 divuals being represented by the remains. The marauder rarely 

 ate more than the breast muscles, leaving a good part of the plum- 

 age intact. The killing was always done either at night or so 

 early in the morning that we were unable to witness it. 

 Pisobia minutiUa. — Least Sandpiper. 



The first company of six of these birds were recorded on August 

 5 and 6, 1910. The next was a company of ten on the 11th, one 

 of twelve on the 12th, and then nearly every day from one to ten 

 until the 27th, which was the last record. This species was nearly 

 always associated with the Semipalmated, and it soon became easy 

 to distinguish between them. These birds were rather more wary 

 than the last species, but they fed in much the same places and 

 manner. Their call notes were different and their manner of fliglit 

 also different. 

 PeUdna alpina .sffA-7(aZ/»a.— Red-backed Sandpiper. 



There were only three records, all in 1910. The first was of 

 three birds on August 15, one on the 16th, and one on the 21st. 

 These were on the sand spit feeding with the other shore birds. 

 All in the post nuptial plumage. 

 ErpKnetes pitsillus. — Semipalmated Sandpiper. 



The first noted in 1910 were two feeding in the Fishing Point 

 swamp on July 24th, then a company of twenty-five at the same 

 place on August 8th, and thereafter during our stay there were 

 numbers either in the swamp or on the beach, more frequently on 

 the sand spit than elsewhere. They mixed with the other shore 

 birds, and were only slightly more wary than were the Baird's 

 Sandpipers. One with a broken leg remained around for several 

 days. These birds suffered only slightly from birds of prey. 

 Calidris leucoph a a.- — Sanderling. 



The first noted were on the 24th of July, 1910, the next four on 

 August 2, six on the 5th, three on the 11th, two on the 25th, nine- 

 teen on the 29th, sixteen on the 3d of Sepember, and four on the 



