In the vein of "bird events long remembered"....

I work on my own cars when possible and was doing just that with the hood up one spring day.  I had been tinkering under the hood standing directly in front of the car and had just stepped to the side of the car to reach another area when I more felt than saw something fly past me.  As it did, it brushed against my shoulder.  I turned just in time to catch a very brief glimpse of a large hawk!  It came in a direction from which I would have been hidden when in front of the car.  It would have had a clear flight path until I moved to the side of the car.  Later that year we saw a Copper's hawk several times in our yard.  I felt a little un-nerved at the time when I realized what had happened.  I'd bet the hawk did too.

Tim 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert Evans
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 3:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Muskingum Co. merlin, killdeer

A while ago, about 2:45 PM, I was returning from a trip to our bank. As I
turned into and drove up the driveway I got a brief but thrilling view of a
merlin swooping past our main bird feeder and swiftly charging just over my
car. Unmistakeable, with the bold belly streaking, falcon wings and tail,
and a beautiful dark purplish gray back. I saw it for all of two or three
seconds as it disappeared across the road to the west, but it was a
bird-event I think will long remember. 
...elided...

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