Page 2B March 6, 2019
R porter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Ifyou are a fan ofthe ruby-
throated hummingbird,
I know you are anxiously
awaiting the arrival of the first
hummingbird of the year. Now
that March has
arrive& we re-
alize this special
day is ever so
dose.
More often
than not, the
throfirst ruby-
ats of the
year arrive
in Monroe
COunty around TERRY W. JOHNSON
the middle
Many ofthese
plants will be
through blooming
by the time ruby-
throated humming=
birds arrive in
Monroe County.
This, coupled
with the fact that
other flowers
now poised on
the threshold of
blooming could
easily be killed by
a night or two of
freezing weather
could diminish
the food sup-
ofMarch, I . . ply available to
personally see my first hummer what is arguably our
around March 18. Some years favorite bird.
I see one later; however, I have
never spotted one earlier. Other
local hummingbird enthusiasts
like Debbie Menard always seem
to catch sight of one a few days
earlier.
It is obvious that the days of
unbelievably warm spring-like
weather we have been enjoy-
ing lately urged many of our
spring-blooming plants to regale
the county with a profusion of
blooms weeks earlier than nor-
mal. The weather has stoked our
hopes of seeing a hummingbird
much earlier than usual this year.
While we will have to wait
and see flour desires become a
reality, we should pause and give
some thought to the impact this
unseasonably warm weather is
having on the plant world and the
potential consequences this might
have on returning hummingbirds.
Fortunately, many
of these plants are
not great sources
of nectar. However,
if there is a nectar
shortage, the birds
may be forced to
rely more heavily
on the food we provide them in
our feeders.
With that in mind, it would
behoove all of us to make sure we
have a feeder or two filled with
nectar hanging in our backyards
awaiting the wave of humming-
birds that will soon be arrivifig
in the county. I mention this
because a year doesn't go by when
somebody tells me about looking
out his or her window on a cool
March morning and spotting a
hummingbird hovering at the
spot where a feeder was hung the
year before.
Hummingbirds like this female ruby-throat usually begin arriving in Monroe
County around March 18 and look for hummingbird feeders they have visited
before. Recent warm weather caused early blooms and may create a greater
need for hummingbird feeders. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
When this happens, they im-
first thing usually no need to fill a feeder
we need with nectar. This is because typi-
to do cally only one or two birds will be
is place using your feeder during the first
our first few weeks of the hummingbird
feeder up season. Consequently, the food
no later will sour before it is ever used
than the up. With that in mind, initially
end of the begin by filling a feeder only
second one-third to one-half full, If you
week in find the birds are using more food
March. than you anticipated, gradually
The increase the amount of food you
feeder can offer them.
contain Since we have no idea what,
either if any, effect our unseasonably
home- warm winter weather will have on
made or ruby-throated hummingbirds, we
store- should closely monitor the feed-
bought ing activities of thebirds using
nectar, our personal hummingbird ha-
Cam- vens. More than likely, the birds
mercial are going to do fine. However,
hum- i if we find the birds seem to be
ming- depending on the food we offer
bird them more than normal, we can
nectar quickly offer them more food.
works as Since nobody knows what will
well as happen this year, please let me
mediately feel like they let the the nectar we make at home. The know what you Witness in your
little bird down. Then, in an main advantage of making our yards during the next several
effort to makes things right, they own is it is much cheaper,weeks. Reporting what we all
scurry about pulling a feeder out If you prepare your own hum- experience can help us better
of storage as they heat a batch of mingbird food, keep in mind understand what we need to do to
hummingbird nectar on the stove, hummingbird food consists of benefit ruby-throated humming-
When the nectar, cools, they then three parts water to one part birds should they face a similar
fill the feeder with food and hang sugar. Bring the water to a boil situation in future years
it outside their window in hopes before adding the sugar. Once
that in the meantime the bird the sugar has dissolved, boil the Terry Johnson is retired Program
didn't continue on to another yard solution for two to three minutes. Manager of the Georgia Nongame-
in search of food. Allow the liquid to cool before Endangered Wildlife Program.
Here are a few hummingbird- pouring it into a feeder. Store the He has written the informative
feeding tips that will help ensure remaining fluid in the refrigerator column 'Monroe Outdoors'for the
returning hummingbirds will find for later use. Reporter for many years. Email
food awaiting their arrival. The Early in the season, there is him at tjwoodduck@bellsouth.net.
/
Comedy le! end
White plays golf
at River
Left: River Forest Golf Club welcomed
:a celebrity golfer over the weekend
when comedian Ran White, pictured
with River Forest general manager
Brian Boeling, stopped by the club
to play a round and grab a post-
round drink. Right: River Forest golf
pro Derek Lafferty, also pictured with
Boeling, received the Central Georgia
PGA Professional Award at the annual
Georgia Professional Golf Associa-
tion awards banquet at the Atlanta
Braves' SunTrust Park on Saturday.
4
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons boys soccer team ended a five-game losing
streak with a 5-1 road win over Howard on Friday.
The Bulldogs (3-5, 1-2 in region) led just 2-1 at the half but
dominated the Huskies in second stanza with a three-goal out-
burst
Senior midfielder Tanner Lee, who's been doing much of the
scoring lately for MP, got the Bulldogs on the board first just
three minutes into the game. But six minutes later, Howard (0-5)
scored its first goal of the season to tie the game 1-1.
Lee responded with 26 minutes left in the half by arching a free
kick into the back of the net as the Bulldogs regained the lead.
MP, which outshot flae Huskies 25-12, attacked the goal for much
of the contest but only led 2-1 at the break.
in the second half, the Bulldog offense heated up on Howard's
new turf field.
Senior Braydon Martin attacked left, spun offa defender back
to the right and hammered a shot into the net to give MP a 3-I
lead with 25 minutes left in the second half.
Then it was senior Liam Spence's turn. He scored two goals
within nine minutes to put the icing on the cake, including a
nifty spinning shot of a cross. Tanner Lee and Garrison Walker
both recorded assists in the game.
Keeper Aubrey Peterman recorded five saves as the Bulldogs
celebrated a badly-needed win, their first region victory on the
season.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs gave a hearty effort but fell to the No.
1 team in the state, Upson-Lee, by a 3-0 score.
Sophomore defender Garrison Walker had the job of marking .
one of the best players in Georgia, Chase Winters, and Walker
held his own, holding Winters to only one goal late in the first
half, giving Upson a 2-0 lead.
The Knights added one more in the second half for a 3-0 win.
Upson-Lee outshot the Bulldogs 17-8 and kept Peterman very
busy as he recorded 22 saves on the night.
This week, MP begins the job of trying to work itself into
playoffposition despite the five-game slide. Those playoffhopes
would get a huge boost ifMP upsets Perry on Tuesday, March
5. On Friday the Bulldogs face Upson-Lee again, this time in
Thomaston. Boys games are at 7:30 p.m.
Continued from 1 B
MP's offensive attack while those
same three players along with
Anderson each led MP with two
runs cored each.
Despite frigid 40 degree
temperatures at game's end, the
Bulldogs surprised head coach
Clae Mathis with an impromptu
ice bath at game's end. A still-
freezing Mathis said he was im-
pressed with the way his offense,
which had 11 hits in all, broke out
against Jordan?
"We saw two junkballers to-
night" Mathis said. "I was a little
worried about us staying back
because we've seen a lot of tough
fastballs lately but you've got to be
able to hit both. We had a bunch
of extra-base hits. You never
know after a loss like Friday how
you're going to show up, and I
think we showed up and did a
good job tonight."
The victory came three nights
after MP was stomped 11-1 in six
innings at home in a non-region
showdown against a strong Jack-
son club on Friday.
Red Devils' ace Dakota Cope:
land silenced the Bulldogs' bats,
limiting MP to just three hits
over five inningsand striking
out 10, while normally reliable
starter Conner Watson had a
tough night on the mound for the
Bulldogs, giving up six runs (five
earned) in just three and one-
third innings.
MP opened the scoring in the
bottom of the first when Kite
doubled to straightaway center,
scoring Snow and putting MP on
top 1-0. Jackson then answered
on the first pitch of the top of
the second as Red Devils' slug-
ger Keith Taylor belted a Watson
fastball over the leftfield fence to
tie the game at 1. A pair of MP
throwing errors on an ill-advised
pickoff attempt led to ]ared Mc-
Collough scoring the Red Devils'
second run of the frame to put
Jackson ahead 2-1. The Red Dev-
ils then added two more runs in
the top of the third on a sacrifice
fly by Payton Hyson and a line
drive solo homer to left by Beau
Mosteller, respectively, that put
Jackson ahead 4-1. Jackson then
added to the Bulldogs' misery in
the next inning, chasing Watson
while adding two more runs on
an RBI double by Dalton Smith
followed by another Hyson sac fly.
MP never threatened the rest
of the way;and the Red Devils
added five more runs combined
offofDogs' relievers Keller Smith
and Snow for the final 10-run
m gin. Mosteller, Copeland
and Smith led Jackson with two
hits apiece while Claxton, Kite
and Moore had MP's lone hits in
the game. In a putrid all-around
performance, MP pitchers also
walked six batters and theD ogs'
defense accounted for four errors.
Mathis said Friday's disappoint-
ing effort, which came four days
after an 8-4 MP road win over
Jackson, was not at all reflective of
the quality ofhis 2019 squad.
"There is not any doul t that's
coming into my mind about this
team,' Mathis said "This is a spe-
cial team. The ball didn't bounce
our way at all tonight. We didn't
do what we needed to do to make
it bounce our way Tonight, I
would boil it down to our pitchers
didn't really have our stuff. Those
guys (Red Devils) hit a little better
than they did ori Monday and
we didn't hit as good as we did
Monday"
The Bulldogs were next sched-
uled travel to Rutland tara
non-region road contest at 4 p.m.
on Tuesday. MP will then play
another non-region road game
at Jordan at 4 p.m. on Wednes-
day before facing Islands in a
home doubleheader on Saturday
with Game 1 starting at noon
and Game 2 starting at 2 p.m.
MP will then face Rutland in yet
another road contest at 5:55 p.m.
on Monday.
Meanwhile, the MP JV base-
ball team was scheduled to face
Upson-Lee in a doubleheader
beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The JV Bulldogs will then return
home to host Schley County in a
doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.
on Thursday.
Also, the Monroe County
Middle School baseball team
was scheduled to travel to Upson
County Middle for a road contest
at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The C-
Team Bulldogs are then slated to
travel to Lamar County Middle
for another road contest at 4:30
p.m. on Wednesday. Then, on
Friday, the D-Team Bulldogs
(7th Grade team) and C-Team
Bulldogs will play a doubleheader
at Gray Station with Game 1
starting at 4 p.m. The Monroe
County Middle School squad will
then return home to host Lamar
County Middle at 4:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, March 12.
The C-Team Bulldogs are off to
a 2-0 start after pounding Hen-
derson 12-1 on the road in their
season opener on Tuesday, Feb.
26. Monroe County then followed
up that win with a 4- 3 nail-biting
victory over Gray Station in its
home opener on Thursday. Also,
the D-Team Bulldogs defeated
Henderson 7-2 in its season
opener on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
(
