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The ADVANCE, October 26, 2022/Page 11A
WSM Searching for Eagles
** They’ve elud
ed me for years.
As I hike or walk
in the woods, I al-
i iiiih ways scan the skies
From the Porch c v c
By Amber Nagle for a glimpse of a
bald eagle, but I ve
never had the privilege of seeing one in the
wild places of Georgia.
When my husband and I vacationed
in Utah and Colorado several years ago, we
stumbled upon some golden eagles eating
a dead deer in a ditch beside an isolated
highway. Until that moment, I didn’t real
ize eagles would feast on carrion, but they
do, especially when live prey is scarce. I re
member the enormity of those birds.
We returned to Georgia, and I contin
ued to watch for a white head and a large
yellowy-orange beak.
Then years ago, Berry Col
lege — ^ with its
mag
nificent
m o u n -
tain cam
pus and
rolling greenspaces
— launched an online
eagle cam. For weeks, I visited
the website to see what the eagles were
up to. I watched them as they tended
their baby. It was exhausting work and rep
resented both the labors of parenting and
the miracles of nature.
“What are they doing?” my husband
would ask sometimes when he’d catch me
entranced by my computer screen.
“Look, the eagles are feeding the baby
a fish!” I’d say.
Even their nest was an impres
sive feat — built in a tall tree with limbs
strong enough to support several hundred
pounds. Most are usually 4-6 feet in diam
eter, constructed of large sticks and lined
with moss or grass. The bowl of the nest is
usually about 3 feet deep — deeper than a
kiddie pool.
Berry College is a mere 30 minutes
away from my home, and every year,
Facebook teases me with dozens of eagle
photos snapped on the campus by every
day folks visiting for the day. Yet, I’ve vis
ited the campus so many times, and I have
never seen one of the beautiful raptors —
symbols of our great nation.
Why is seeing an eagle in the wild so
important to me? Well, they are beautiful,
and I love birds, but there’s more to it than
my interest in birding.
To spot a bald eagle in Georgia’s great
outdoors — their striking white heads,
neck and tail contrasting against the deep
blue sky as they soar above the pines —
is to witness a species that bounced back
from the brink of extinction. There was
a time not so long ago when America’s
most iconic bird all but disappeared from
the Peach State’s landscapes due to loss
of habitat and widespread use of DDT.
Throughout the 1970s, there was only one
successful nest (a successful nest means
that the parents fledged at least one eaglet)
recorded in the boundaries of our state,
and that one was on St. Catherine’s Island.
But in their darkest hour, hope spread
its wings and took flight. In 1972, the U.S.
government banned the use of DDT, and in
1973, they passed the Endangered Species
Act, legislation that precipitated captive
breeding programs, reintroduction efforts,
vigorous law enforce- ment and
tion that
species
r e
bound.
Today,
there are
229 ac
tive nests
Georgia,
and bald eagle numbers
are once again soaring.
Though the recogniz
able raptors are still on the
state’s list of “threatened” spe
cies, their triumphant story demonstrates
that when people work together, conserva
tion miracles are possible.
Some people don’t care about vanish
ing species, but I do. When a species —
any species — goes on the threatened or
endangered list, it should be a wake up call
to all of us.
Our wildlife is part of our heritage. It
makes Georgia unique and a wonderful
place to experience the outdoors. And be
cause the effects of extinction are often felt
throughout the food chain, losing even a
single species can have disastrous impacts
on the rest of an ecosystem (and that in
cludes humans). Finally, the natural world
is intensely interconnected. Our wildlife is
an indicator of the health of our overall en
vironment. When we tend to the environ
ment and the wildlife around us, we tend
to ourselves.
Thank God for eagles, and thank God
their populations have bounced back. I
hope to see an eagle one day soon, and I
hope you do too. Until then, I’ll keep my
eyes peeled as I search the open skies for
these majestic creatures.
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OXFORD DONATES $10,000 TO SECCA - Oxford of Lyons presented Southeastern Early
College and Career Academy (SECCA) with a $10,000 donation through the Oxford
Foundation and a company-wide educational initiative. SECCA will use the money
to support the partnership between SECCA and local business and industry, as well as
celebrate student achievements. "We are so thankful to Oxford for their generous do
nation to SECCA. The partnership between local business and industry is what makes
our community such a great place to live and work. SECCA is committed to making
students aware of local career opportunities, and helping them acquire skills to help
them become successful employees," said John Sharpe, SECCA CEO and Director of
Fligh School Programs. L to R: Oxford Import Administrator Flora Torres, John Sharpe,
Oxford Senior Manager of International Operations Angie McDaniel.
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(L to R): Front Row: Hadley Garrett, Chesney Burch, Annabelle Coe, Middle Row: Em-
malee Milligan, Addysen Smith, Blake Owens, Jackson McCarty, Lou Munsayac, Back
Row: Ava Scott, Maribeth Stephens, Isabella Huber, Layton Youmans, Ward Varnadoe.
RTCA 4-H Cloverleaf
Members Place at Fair
This year a new 4-H
Club has been established
on campus of Robert
Toombs Christian Acad
emy to offer an additional
outlet for student achieve
ment.
Fourteen sixth grade
members of the Robert
Toombs Christian Acad
emy 4-H Club attended
the Georgia National Fair
in Perry with new club ad
visor, Lisa Parker. Prior to
the field trip, members had
spent hours preparing their
projects for competition
in the areas of Computer
Graphic Design, Decorat
ed Agricultural Products
Exhibits, Recycling, and
Terrarium/Dish Garden
Exhibits.
Out of 13 entries, Rob
ert Toombs had 7 projects
placed in the top 10, win
ning both ribbons and cash
prizes:
Computer Graphic
Design: Emmalee Milligan,
Eighth Place.
Decorated Agricultur
al Products Exhibits: Ma
ribeth Stephens, Second
Place.
Recycling: Isabella
Huber, Second Place; Ward
Varnadoe, Eighth Place.
Terrariums/Dish
Garden Exhibits: Ad
dysen Smith, First Place;
Blake Owens, Fifth Place;
Meeghan Wolfe, Ninth
Place.
Then students broke
into groups to explore all
the fair had to offer. Some
students chose to paint
ornaments, with the pro
ceeds going to charity.
Others visited the live ani
mal exhibits.
The 4-H Cloverleaf
Members gathered at
Reaves Arena with other
4-H members from across
the state. The students
were introduced to key
leadership, who led the ral
ly. Games were played with
audience participation,
and each member received
a Georgia National Fair/4-
H t-shirt.
Thank you to Lowe’s of
Vidalia and County Farm
Plant Company of Baxley
for helping to provide ma
terials for the terrariums
and dish gardens. Mrs.
Parker also wishes to thank
the parents who helped to
transport and chaperone
those in attendance: Richie
Botelho, Sharon Coe, Lee
Milligan, Heather Scott,
Bonnie Van Dyke, and
Mandi Varnadoe.
Trained by the Cats
Is it worth it?
There are two
cats that live around
here. They are all
that remains of a
tribe of a dozen fe
ral kitties that grew
up in town and
didn't take to coun
try living. All but
these two dribbled away.
The cats are most often seen at the
back door looking in when nobody inside
is looking out.
They are rarely touchable and are most
approachable while eating. They tolerate a
back scratch while gnawing away at com
mercial cat food. I know they are enjoying
something because the tails stand tall.
Over time various brands of canned
cat food accumulated. The cats were of
fered samples and full cans, even a can of
sardines, but a sniff was all they attracted.
Cats looked at the canned stuff and made
direct eye contact.
They developed a preference for dry
cat food and turned up their nose, some
times refused to eat, anything else.
The dry cat food came from Aldi in 16
pound bags, but they are suddenly not
available any more and haven't been for a
couple of weeks.
I read that cats often bring proof of
their hunting ability to show to their hu
mans, but there hasn't been a squirrel or
slow chipmunk at the back door in years.
The cats are able to function on their
own. They can hunt if the prey is not
highly motivated, but they appear to have
lost interest.
Little cat faces are visible first thing in
the morning. They are friendlier at break
fast than at any other time. I take it these
cats are not night hunters.
In mid afternoon there are cat faces at
the door again. After that feeding they file
off into the backyard where they take ster
torous naps curled up on the green tractor.
My grandmother's cats hunted for
their supper. They kept watch from the
smoke house roof and learned to leave
young chickens alone.
She said the rooster taught the cats
barn yard manners, and after that all was
respectful.
She scraped out dishes and skillets in
the backyard for the chickens, but the cats
were not above feeding shoulder to shoul
der with the birds.
My cousin Don still laughs while re
membering the sight of a cat trying to
gnaw off a bite of stale, brick-dense corn-
bread held between front paws.
My grandfather periodically renewed
the supply of rat snakes that lived in the
corn crib. The snakes owned the inside
and the cats were free to take on any escap
ees.
I think these cats have just gotten lazy
or have trained me to adapt to their sched
ule.
Right now I'm coming to the end of
our stock of dry cat food and need to find
a replacement if Aldi is out of the cat food
business.
Cats do not have a wide emotional
repertoire, but being stared down by a cat
is humiliating.
joenphillips@yahoo.com
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