Yesterday (December 8), a group from the Columbus Audubon Society visited Killdeer Plains. Although we missed the shrike that others had reported, we did manage to locate two barred owls, along with kestrels (one flew into a barn window while we were watching), bald eagles, red-headed woodpeckers, northern harriers (including a gorgeous adult male hunting over the field next to the port-a-potty), and a striking ring-necked pheasant along the side the road who seemed completely unconcerned by our presence. Most of the ponds were pretty empty, probably due to hunting activity, but we discovered a decent variety of waterfowl in the large pond along the north side of Highway 68. (Not surprisingly, this pond is off-limits to hunters.) The highlight of the trip, however, came around 4:30, when we saw at least eight short-eared owls hunting the fields surrounding the sportsman's center. (It was probably more like a dozen owls, possibly more, but it was impossible to keep count, as they were flying around us on all sides.) There were also five or six norther harriers (no adult males this time) hunting in the same area, at times engaging in arial battle with the owls. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]