This morning a saw three bulky looking birds on fence posts roughly 700-800 yards away near the Harrison County Airport. In the scope they appeared long winged, brown-black shoulders and neck, black wing, lower back and tail and at certain angles the neck was a grayish black. Two birds did some aerobatic maneuvers around each other and then landed in a Russian Olive. I was reasonably certain they were ravens but the proportions were a little off- beak not as bulky, neck a little thin, head a little small. I decided not to add them to my ebird list and because of these factors and moved on. While on the walking portion of my route, I heard the unmistakable croaking call of the raven. Two of the birds flew and glided directly overhead where I could add a nice view of the silhouette. After reviewing the species at home, I account for the color and proportions to the fact they were hatch year birds. I realize shorebird, kites and herons are all the rage this August, however, it is a great time to test your ID skills with hatch year birds. The grassland sparrows are especially challenging and occasionally frustrating, but at least they can be seen well, as opposed to the woodland species. Even so, both are well worth the effort. Scott Pendleton ______________________________________________________________________ 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]