Re: Md Yellow-cr Night-Herons

Steve Sanford (tanager@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us)
Sun, 29 Mar 1998 20:02:55 -0500


Fran,

Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are junk birds around parts of Baltimore.

Well, that's an exaggeration, but if you check our Balto Bird Club "Chip
Notes" newsletter for Oct 97, Pete Webb in Lochearn (just north of
Liberty Rd inside the Balto Beltway) literally had them nesting in his
yard last summer, and I have one as a one-time fly-by yard bird in
Randallstown. It just happens that they have bred along Gwynns Falls and
Scotts Level Creek for years. You might find them in Milford Mill Park
off Milford Mill Rd. about a mile north of Liberty Rd. We saw them on a
nest there 2 years ago on our field trip. Years back, I was amazed to
find three in a densely wooded area along Scott's Level a few blocks
from my house.

One of the things that got me interested in birding was the sighting of
a bizarre-looking bird while fishing on Liberty Lake about 20 years ago.
I went to the library and got a bird book, and concluded it was a
"Yellow-crowned Night-Heron." After catching a few catfish and dealing
with getting them off the hook and skinning them, I lost interest in
fishing and gradually moved towards birding.

They were seen for years at the base of the dam of Lake Roland ("Robt E
Lee Park) off Falls Rd just north of the city/county line. I believe
they are still being seen there in season. Hopefully some of the
regulars at Lake Roland reading this can confirm or deny this. If so,
that would be the easy way to see them.

--
Steve Sanford
Randallstown MD
tanager@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us