I have been scouting for the Carey Christmas count and birding as I have been running errands the last two days. I have had some interesting experiences and observations. After stopping at the Wyandot County recycling center in Carey I went to the back side of the landfill and discovered several *wild turkeys*, a huge mixed group of sparrows mostly song and tree sparrows but one *fox sparrow*. Around the corner at the Richey Cemetery (where the Col Crawford monument is) there was an immature red-tailed hawk on what appeared to be a poached deer carcass. It sat for a long time with my sons and I watching him closely from less than ten yards. We proceeded to Smithville where we watched 3 *Pilleated woodpeckers* and a *Hairy woodpecker*. In an adjacant field was a flock of 10 wild turkeys. An open patch of the Sandusky River offered a single *hooded merganser*. In the game reserve south of Carey was a *Rough-legged hawk*, kestral, and *dark phase red-tailed hawk* (which hunted at close range). I have had a lone *eastern meadowlark* in the yard the last two days and three *grackles* at the feeder. I also watched *4 coyotes* watch me in a field outside Vanlue. We also got a chance to see action at Big Island. Brett (my oldest son) and I watched a *short-eared owl* from 20 yards for better than 15 minutes until a large crowd assembled and drove him away. And as I sat down to report this, a* great blue heron* flew over the house. What a great couple of days! Eric Mullholand Social Studies Teacher CEA President Head Softball Coach Student Council Advisor ______________________________________________________________________ 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]