"Iraq: Birding from the Trenches" Program at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Be amazed at the variety and abundance of wildlife occurring on the edge of Iraq’s western desert! Join Major Randel Rogers of the Ohio Army National Guard at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, December 13th at 2:00 p.m. for "Iraq: Birding from the Trenches." This program is free and open to the public, and is part of the refuge's "Naturally Speaking" monthly seminar series held in partnership with Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Major Randel Rogers will discuss the birds and other wildlife he observed during his recent assignment in Iraq. While stationed at Al Asad Airbase, MAJ Rogers encountered 124 species of birds, and many of the region’s mammals, including the elusive jungle cat. Photos and videos of some of these encounters will be shown. He also interacted with Nature Iraq, the non-governmental organization responsible for surveying and protecting Iraq’s wildlife and natural habitat, and will highlight their efforts and what Ohio birders can do to help. For more information about these or other Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge programs, visit the refuge website, http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ottawa or call (419) 898-0014. The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge entrance is located 15 miles east of Toledo or 16 miles west of Port Clinton on State Route 2. The entrance road is located on the north side of State Route 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]