Newspaper Page Text
On Nature
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Page 7A
Happy Bird-Day,
Dear Thoreau
By Janisse Ray
My husband wanted two
things for his birthday. He
wanted a blueberry pie, and
to photograph birds at a
rookery.
We spent much of last
Wednesday crouched at the
edge of Woody Pond in Har
ris Neck National Wildlife
Refuge.
When I was eighteen I
read Thoreau’s “Walden.”
Mr. Thoreau, of course,
spent endless hours learning
natural history by watching
wildlife.
A Concord farmer once
recounted that Mr. Thoreau
stood all day beside a little
mud pond. At supper-time,
the farmer finally called out,
“David Henry, what air you
a-doing?” Without turning
his head, Thoreau reputedly
replied, “Mr. Murray, I’m
a-studyin’ the habits of the
bullfrog.”
“The naturalist accom
plishes a great deal by
patience,” Thoreau wrote,
“more perhaps than by activ
ity. He must take his posi
tion, then wait and watch.”
I’m a poor ornithologist,
but I love identifying birds
and watching their behavior.
What they offer me is beauty
and wonder.
Harris Neck is a 2,824-
acre refuge located in
McIntosh County. During
the 1800s it was used for
growing sea cotton, until the
tilth was exhausted. An Af
rican-American community
thrived at Harris Neck until
World War II, when the land
was condemned and taken
by the government in order
to build an airfield. After
the war ended, the property
became a wildlife refuge.
Woody Pond is a human-
made impoundment that has
become a vital rookery for
the endangered wood stork,
as well as other wading birds
and waterfowl.
From the dyke, we watched
hundreds of birds roosting,
feeding their young, learning
to fly, and engaging in other
behavior we did not under
stand. Why, for example,
would two dozen night
herons suddenly abandon
perches in the willows, en
masse, and fly out over the
pond? Why would two white
egrets chase a little blue
heron for an hour?
We saw white ibis, an-
hinga, green heron, great
egret, and moorhen. We saw
young cypress stuffed full of
fledglings. We saw an alliga
tor lounging in duckweed
below that cypress.
My husband saw his first
painted bunting ever, and if
you’ve never seen one, you
should go a-looking. The
buntings are migrants, here
for the summer, and exqui
sitely colored - red, green,
blue. The field guide calls
them gaudy.
All day I felt like Thoreau.
In a way, since he was born
July 12, we were celebrating
his birthday too.
Janisse Ray, author of
Ecology of a Cracker Child
hood, is compiling a life list
of birds she’s seen.
Towering Pines Apartments
will be having Open House on
Saturday, July 19th from
10:00 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Refreshments available.
Come see the apartments
that Towering Pines has to offer.
2125 B Beachview Drive
Albany, Georgia 31705
Library To Host
Story Performance
Ferrer - Berry
Engagement Announced
Specicd to the Ledger
Mr. Eddie Ferrer and Ms.
Faye Ferrer, of Leesburg,
Georgia, announce the en
gagement of their daughter,
Stephanie Ferrer, to Chris
Berry. Mr. Berry is the son
of Marie Posey of Albany,
Georgia.
The wedding is planned for
Saturday, August 2, 2008.
The ceremony will be at 6:
00 p.m. at Wil-Mil Farms in
Lee County.
Miss Ferrer gradu
ated from Lee County High
School in 2004 and is a
homemaker.
Mr. Berry is employed by
DMI Remodeling.
Following the wedding
ceremony and the reception,
the couple will reside with
their son, Cade, in Leesburg,
Barry Stewart Mann will
present two different story
performances on July 25th
at the Leesburg Library.
“Mr. Bugaboo’s Bugazoo”
will be presented at 10:
00 AM and “It’s a Buggy,
Buggy World” will be pre
sented at 11:00 AM. Spon
sored by the Lee County
Library, both programs are
free and open to the public.
F/M/I 229-7592369.
Barry Stewart Mann is
an actor, storyteller, writer,
and educator who has taught
and performed around the
United States. He holds a
BA in English from Har
vard University and an
MFA in drama from the
University of San Diego.
As an educator, he leads
drama, acting, playwrit
ing, improvisation and
creative drama workshops.
He performs educational
programs through Young
Audiences in Atlanta, the
Georgia Council for the
Arts, the Atlanta Partner
ship for Arts in Learning,
Georgia Wolf Trap, and the
Alliance Theatre. Mann has
performed dozens of stage
productions, told stories at
hundreds of locations and
IS YOUR CD ABOUT TO MATURE?
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GENERATE TAX-FREE INCOME?
CALL US TODAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WAYS TO
GENERATE TAX-FREE INCOME.
Scott Hunter, MBA
Financial Advisor
scott.hunter@wachoviasec.com
Pat O'Lear
Financial Advisor
Vice President-Investments
pat.olear@wachoviasec.com
618 North Westover Blvd. • Albany, GA 31707
229-436-0501
M Wachovia Securities
Securities and Insurance Products:
| NOT IHStlRED BP FDIC OMY FEDERAL GOVEHHMElirAGEHCT-MAY LOSE VALIIE ■ NOTA DEPOSIT OF OB GCIEED BYA BUNK ORAWT BAHKAFFILIATE
Wachovia Securities, LLC, MemberSIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate nonbank affiliate ofWachovia Corporation,
SWEET CORN
A-PLENTY
Picking Yellow, Bi-Color
Silver Queen & Silver King
We Pick Our Irrigated
Sweet Corn Everyday!
Call To Order Today!
Peas & Butterbeans
Blueberries • Ga. Vine Ripe Tomatoes • Watermelons • Ga.
Peaches • Cantaloupes • Plums • Vidalia Onions
Boiled Peanuts • Other Fresh Produce
MARK'S MELON PATCH
(9 Miles past Albany Mall on 82 West)
OPEN 9-7 DAILY 229-698-4750
appeared on television in
One Life to Live, The Dr.
Ruth Show, and A & E’s
Short Stories. He is a mem
ber of the Southern Order of
Storytellers.
Leesburg
Garden Center
Pine Straw $2.75
Red Cypress Mulch $2.90
Shrubs • Trees • Flowers
See Our Selection of Old Antique Yard Furniture!
115 N. Walnut St. Downtown Leesburg 759-1777
DAVID
Lee County Health and
Rehabilitation would like
to recognize Josephine
Reed who stopped
smoking when the
facility recently made the
change to a smoke free
campus. Congratulations
Josephine Reed.
*KELLy*
CONSTRUCTION
Serving Georgia with Qtiality and Pride Since 1978
Commercial - Residential • Additions - Remodeling
www.dkeUyconstruction.com (229)^£0 "1037
J
Be a Part of Something BIG!
Residential
® Commercial
New Construction
Custom • Retrofit
Adding insulation in the
attic reduces power bills
Conserve Energy
Save $$$$$$
434-0511
www.southerncommercial
materials.com
405 E. Oglethorpe,
Albany
licensed, insured, Lee Co. &
Albany Chamber of Commerce
Homebuilders Assoc.
(Owned by Bill & Candace Parks since 1988)
Branch opens August 2008
Join in July and save $$!
YMCA membership includes use of
Leesburg and Albany facilities
Join today at our current office on Walnut Street.
Office Hours
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
The Lee Branch YMCA
V7 316 Robert B. Lee Road
B 759-9770
Overweight?
Lack of Energy?
Back Pain?
Joint Pain?
Medical Problems?
Learn More About The Most Comprehensive
Weight Loss Program In The Area:
•APPROPRIATE WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS
SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN DIET & EXERCISE STRATEGIES
• LAB EVALUATION • EKG
• PERSONAL METABOLIC/GENETIC PROFILE
• FAT BURNING VITAMIN THERAPY
• PHYSICAL EXAM, BMI & BODY FAT %
Non Surgical Lipodissolve, Mesotherapy(cellulite),
And Botox Injections Available
Jntr&Anvinff...
The
WEIGHT LOSS Clinic
At NEUROSURGICAL ASSOCIATES
Kimberly S. Brown, M.D., F.A.C.S. & John F. Plourde, Ph.D., PA-C
2622 Meredyth Drive Albany, GA 31707
CALL FOR APPOINTMENT: 229-432-9515