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... ______________________________________________________________________ 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]