Columbus Birders: I have received the following e-mail from my non-birding sister. I am trying hard to infect her with the birding bug, and she occasionally calls or e-mails me about a bird she has seen. We can usually figure it out, but not this time. Here is her description. (You can tell I have been training her.) ***** > My impressions of the unknown bird seen last night (June 17) by Scioto > Country Club (Riverside Drive, Columbus, just north of Trabue): > Location - over Scioto Country Club, just east of Scioto River. > Habitat - old trees, grassy areas, near water, but also a major road > with lots of traffic. > Time - shortly before dusk. > Note: I was driving southbound in traffic at approx. 45 MPH; bird was > flying north and slightly east on the opposite side of the road - > first sighted it approx. 200 yds. ahead. > Initially thought it was a Great Blue Heron flying high, in part > because of its grey coloring but mostly because of the way it flew > (long, measured wingbeats.) Once it came closer, tho', I realized it > was not flying nearly as high as I initially thought and was much > smaller than a GBH (and was obviously NOT a GBH.) Flew *above* trees, > not gliding low. It was heading somewhere, not hunting, so didn't see > any feeding behavior. > Size - hard to estimate, but "hawk-sized" - 18-20"+/-? Coloring (all > seen from the underside) was med. grey to white, somewhat darker on > head, leading edge and tips of wings, tail. Wings were angled the way > a swallow's do but not that sharply. Tips of wings were more tapered > than "fingered" the way a vulture's are. Head was bullet-shaped. > General impression - I would have said Northern Harrier based on color > and shape, except wingtips were not that dark, and flight seemed too > high for a harrier. Pics I've seen of Mississippi kite look like a > possibility. ***** When she called me about this bird, I first thought Night-heron, but she said it was more "raptor-ish," and she thought maybe a Harrier. I had her check her field guide for Miss. Kite, and she thought that looked like a good possibility. So, is anybody seeing Mississippi Kites along the Scioto? Any other thoughts on this bird? TIA, ~Kathi Felicity, OH ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]