Between 11 & 12 this morning I heard some knocking above me in a tree, looked up and spotted a pileated wp at Lakeview, upper level in back corner by pine grove and dump. I noticed another bird on a branch not far away, same tree and same size bird, Merlin as far as I could tell. Though I check out Lakeview several times a week I have't seen a pileated there for over a year...the small raptor I did see about a month ago, lower level of the cemetery. A quick dogfight ensued with the Merlin taking the offensive whenever the pileated spread out it's wings to fly but always landing back in a bit of cover...looked like a longer flight would have spelled disaster. I suspect my presence may have had something to do with the eventual cessation of hostilities, the pileated flying into the pines and the merlin going to the top of a medium sized tree and then off. Five so-so photos, starting here: http://www.pbase.com/tileman533/image/141535556 Denny McDonnell Euclid ______________________________________________________________________ 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]