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PAGE 4B
ffiKqporter
November 28, 2012
Monroe County Outdoors
Its a good time to meet downy woodpeckers
BY TERRY W. JOHNSON
uring the past few
weeks, the activity
around my bird feed
ers has increased dra
matically. Some of
this is the result of the arrival of
two winter visitors: the
white-throated sparrow and
dark-eyed junco. However,
most can be attributed to the
fact that the year-round bird
residents are feeding more
often than they have been in
months. One of these diners
is the downy woodpecker.
Although I hear and see
downy woodpeckers
throughout the year, I
don't get to enjoy their
company very often until
late fall. From then
through winter they make my
bird feeding area a focal point of
their activities.
I am sure you are familiar with
the downy woodpecker. It is
smallest woodpecker. In fact, it
is barely larger than a house
sparrow. This tiny woodpecker is
only 6 1/2" long. It is some 3"
smaller than its look alike rela
tive the hairy woodpecker. These
two birds are the only woodpeck
ers that sport a broad white
streak down their backs.
When you look at pictures of
both birds in a field guide, you
may be left scratching year head
wondering how you can tell one
from the other. It is really easier
than you think. When you see
both birds side by
side, it is obvious
which is which. In
addition to being
dramatically small
er, the downy
woodpecker's bill is
less than half the
length of its head.
On the other hand,
the hairy wood
pecker's bill is
much longer than
half the length of
its head. In addi
tion, the downy's white outer
tail feathers are marked with
black bars. These bars are lack
ing on the hairy. Also, while
hairy woodpeckers will from
time to time visit feeders, more
than likely, if you see a black
and white woodpecker with a
white back at your feeder, it will
be a downy.
It is very easy to tell a male
downy from a female. The male
sports a bright red patch at the
back of his head. This adorn
ment is lacking on the female.
If you like being able to deter
mine the sex of the downy wood
peckers, you might also like to
tell one downy woodpecker from
another. All you have to do is
take digital pictures or make
sketches of the black and white
pattern displayed at the back of
each bird's head. This pattern is
different from bird to bird.
Consequently, by referring to
pictures or chart, you can tell if
you are feeding more than two
downys.
It seems that I hear more
downy woodpeckers than I see.
If you learn its call, I think you
will agree with me. The call is
descending whinny or trill. The
call notes sound much like the
sound made by a ping pong ball
that has been dropped on a hard
surface. The notes are widely
spaced at the beginning of the
call and closer together at the
end.
Typically I see only one downy
woodpecker at a time at my
feeders. If a female is feeding
and a male shows up, invariably
the male chases the female
away.
While downy woodpeckers will
A male downy woodpecker enjoys
peanut butter suet in Terry John
son’s backyard.
eat sunflower seeds and peanut
butter, the food they eat almost
exclusively at my bird restau
rant is suet. Downy woodpeckers
will eat all sorts of suet
However, since the majority of
other eaters in my backyard pre
fer suet containing peanut but
ter that is what I use. Although
you can make your own suet, I
have found that it is far easier
to buy it. I serve this bird delica
cy is a wire suet feeder. These
contraptions are designed so
that a piece of suet easily slides
inside. The birds simply eat the
suet through the wire mesh.
Some suggest that downy
woodpeckers and other birds
prefer to eat suet from a feeder
that is attached to something
solid like the trunk of a tree or
post. That may be true.
However, since I don't have any
thing like that close by, I simply
suspend suet feeders from a
shepherd's hook with wire or a
piece of nylon cord. Although
birds feeding on the suet slowly
spin while they are eating, they
don't seem to mind the ride.
If you haven't made the
acquaintance of the downy wood
pecker, there is no better time to
get to know this fascinating lit
tle bird than right now. If you
want to set out the welcome mat
for the downy woodpecker, sim
ply buy a suet feeder and fill it
with a block of peanut butter
suet; then sit back and wait.
Chances are you will soon meet
a wildlife neighbor that has been
living in your neck of the woods
for a long time.
Terry Johnson has written
Monroe County Outdoors for The
Reporter for years. Email your out
door question or comment for him
to tjwoodduck@aol.com.
Former MP star named national award finalist
Wingate University sen
ior wide receiver Chris
Bowden, a former Mary
Persons star, is one of
eight national finalists for
the 2012 Harlon Hill
Trophy as the NCAA
Division II College
Football Player of the Year.
The top two players from
each of Division IPs four
Super Regions advance to
the national ballot.
Bowden joins Tuskegee
(Ala.) senior running back
Derrick Washington as a
finalist from Super Region
2.
The finalists were select
ed by the NCAA Division
II sports information direc
tors in regional voting and
will now be placed on the
national ballot where 155
of the Division’s SIDs will
select the award’s 27th
winner. The list of 2012
finalists is comprised of
four quarterbacks, three
running backs and one
receiver.
“We are very excited
about Chris advancing to
the final eight,” Wingate
head coach Joe Reich says.
“His hard work paid off for
him; it is great to see him
get recognition for his suc
cess. We believe Chris was
the most dominant player
in our conference this
year.”
The South Atlantic
Conference co-Offensive
Player of the Year, Bowden
caught 106 passes for 1359
yards and nine touch
downs this year. The first
team All-SAC choice leads
the conference in recep
tions per game (9.64) and
receiving yards per game
(123.55). Bowden is tied
for second and third,
respectively, on the NCAA
charts (in the aforemen
tioned categories). He is
the second player in
league history to catch
100+ passes in a season.”
“As a quarterback, I
could always count on
Chris to perform week
after week,” three-year
Wingate starter Cody
Haffly (’ll) says. “From
day one of stepping on
campus, Chris has devel
oped into one of the best
football players in the
country. He makes it very
easy to play the quarter
back position. His uncanny
ability to make plays when
they are needed the most
can change a game in a
second.”
This year, Bowden had
five games with 10+ catch
es and seven games with
100+ receiving yards. He
had 16 catches for 262
yards and two touchdowns
against Mars Hill (Oct. 6,
2012). Bowden snagged 12
receptions for 108 yards
versus Lenoir-Rhyne (Oct.
27, 2012). Four of his 10+
catch games and six of his
100+ yard contests came
against SAC opponents.
Chris Bowden is
Wingate’s all-time leading
receiver with 263 catches
for 3719 yards and 35
TDs. He holds every signif
icant school receiving
record. His 263 catches
and 3719 yards are SAC
records, while his 35
touchdowns are second on
the all-time SAC charts.
Bowden is a 2012 pre-sea-
son first team All-
American, as selected by
Lindy’s Magazine and the
Beyond Sports Network.
A 2011 first team All-
SAC performer, Bowden
was named first team All-
Super Region 2 by Don
Hansen the same season.
In addition, he was a 2011
Daktronics All-Super
Region 2 second team
choice. In 2010, Wingate
won the SAC regular sea
son championship and
qualified for the NCAA
Division II play-offs for the
first time in school history.
Bowden caught 51 passes
for 935 yards and 14
touchdowns during
Wingate’s 2010 champi
onship season.
The winner of the 2012
award, which is presented
by the National Harlon
Hill Award Committee,
will be announced at the
27th annual Harlon Hill
Trophy Presentation
Banquet on Friday, Dec.
14 at the Florence
Conference Center (6:30
p.m.). This year’s Hill
Trophy Banquet will also
include the 14th induction
into the Division II
Football Hall of Fame. The
NCAA Division II
Championship Game is
scheduled for Dec. 15 at
Florence’s Braly Municipal
Stadium (12 noon).
The Hill Trophy is spon
sored by the City of
Florence, Ala., Florence-
Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-
Net, the Marriott Shoals
Hotel and Spa and Herff
Jones. The nomination
was not the only good
news Bowden has gotten
recently. Earlier this
month a Lamar County
grand jury opted not to
pursue charges against
Bowden related to a shoot
ing incident in Barnesville
last year.
Dumas
continued from the front
Atlanta lost 31-27 on the
road to the New Orleans
Saints on Nov. 11. The
Saints have been the
Falcons' chief nemesis dur
ing the Smith era, beating
the Falcons seven of nine
times under Smith and 11
of 13 times in all.
On Thursday night, the
Falcons will have a chance
to avenge their only loss of
the season when the
Saints visit the Georgia
Dome. At 5-6 the Saints
are desperate for a win to
stay in NFC playoff con
tention while the Falcons
want nothing more than to
eliminate the Saints offi
cially from the NFC South
division race. A win would
also put Atlanta needing
just one win or one Tampa
Bay loss away from clinch
ing the NFC South alto
gether.
The Falcons are also very
much in position to get the
top seed in the NFC play
offs, leading No. 2 San
Francisco by a game-and-
a-half. The Falcons
achieved the top spot two
years ago only to get
thumped in their opening
playoff game at home by
the eventual champion
Green Bay Packers. The
48-21 beatdown the
Packers put on Atlanta in
2010 proved that having
the top seed guarantees
nothing in the playoffs,
but it does assure Atlanta
that it won't have to leave
the Georgia Dome until
the Super Bowl. That
alone makes the Falcons a
serious Super Bowl con
tender since Ryan has won
31 of 36 home starts enter
ing Thursday.
Beating the Saints on
Thursday night is not
essential for the Falcons'
playoff and division hopes,
but it would go a long way
toward exorcising some
franchise demons. It would
also elevate Atlanta along
side the New York Giants,
Green Bay Packers and
San Francisco 49ers as a
serious NFC Super Bowl
contender.
The Falcons have been
building for five years
under the Mike Smith
regime. It's time to take
that final step on
Thursday, the step toward
league-wide relevancy.
The Mary Persons
Bulldogs have a different
challenge than the Falcons
on Friday night, but the
goal is very much the
same.
Unlike the Falcons, MP
won't get a mulligan if it
loses when the Bulldogs
travel to Ridgeland Friday
night.
Mary Persons athletics
have improved tremen
dously across the board in
recent years, but its once-
revered football program
has languished behind.
The Bulldogs, who were
dominant during the Dan
Pitts Era have fallen to
good but not great status.
In fact, it's been 14 long
years since MP tasted the
state semifinals or even
quarterfinals for that mat
ter.
From 1973 to 1997, dur
ing the last 25 years Pitts
was head coach at MP, the
Bulldogs won at least nine
games in 21 different sea
sons. In contrast, in the 15
seasons since Pitts' retire
ment, the Bulldogs have
only reached nine wins
four times, including this
year.
By reaching 10 wins and
the AAAA quarterfinals in
his very first year, MP
head coach Brian Nelson
has united the community
behind Mary Persons foot
ball at a level not seen in
recent seasons. A large
contingent of Bulldog fans
are expected to make the
trip to Rossville Friday
night in hopes the
Bulldogs can take yet
another step back in the
right direction.
To reach the state semifi
nals, GHSA teams must
win three playoff games.
Winning back-to-back
games against state pow
ers Statesboro and Cairo is
proof positive that MP is
doing a lot of things right.
But winning a third play
off game would indicate
that not only is MP having
a good season but that it is
ready to get back to com
peting for state champi
onships.
Just as the Falcons can
prove worthiness as a
Super Bowl contender as a
top seed, MP can prove
worthiness of being in the
state title mix with a victo
ry over Ridgeland. Though
MP would likely not be
favored against any of the
other three Final Four
teams in AAAA, making it
that far would change the
program's goals for this
year and for future years.
When a program is one of
four left standing out of 77
AAAA schools, it's not only
worthy of admiration, it's
worthy of being called a
championship contender.
There is an interesting
coincidence that connects
the Georgia Bulldogs and
Mary Persons Bulldogs.
Both programs' signature
season came 32 years ago
in 1980 when MP won its
only state championship
and UGA won its only con
sensus national title.
While MP fans only men
tion legendary 1980 star
running back Alvin Toles
in passing these days,
UGA fans still cling to the
memory of its 1980 star
Herschel Walker as if the
Heisman winner only
graduated several years
ago.
Mary Persons has never
been able to surpass that
1980 season, but it has at
least reached the state
championship game three
more times since then. On
the other hand, Georgia
had one more year of
greatness when the 1982
team went undefeated in
the regular season in
Walker's junior year, but
the succeeding 30 years
have been far less kind to
the Dawgs.
After an amazing 32-1
regular season record from
1980 to 1982, the Bulldogs
have lost more than one
game in every season since
with the exception of one-
loss teams in 1983 and
2002.
The 1990s were a partic
ularly grizzly stretch of
subpar play by the
Bulldogs. How bad did it
get? From 1989 through
2000, Georgia's record
against ranked teams in
Sanford Stadium was a
horrid 2-14.
Since coach Mark Richt
took over the Dawgs in
2001, Georgia has once
again become on the
Southeastern Conference's
top teams and a result,
one of the top programs in
the nation.
However, Richt has been
unable to get Georgia back
to the very top of the heap
nationally, and the
Bulldogs remain a notch
below the very best pro
grams like Florida, Ohio
State, USC and Saturday's
opponent, Alabama. The
Crimson Tide have won
two of the past three
national championships
and are arguably the most
feared program in college
football at this moment.
For UGA not only to "run
this state" (to quote the
great poet Caleb King),
but also to run the nation
al college football scene,
the Dawgs need to beat
the Tide in the SEC
Championship Game on
Saturday. A win would put
Georgia in its first nation
al title contest since Joe
Paterno's Penn State team
beat the Walker-led Dawgs
in the 1983 Sugar Bowl.
Sports Illustrated pub
lished a cover story last
week about Notre Dame's
undefeated season
"Waking the Echoes" in
South Bend. The Bulldogs
have waited eight years
longer than even the Irish
have for a national title. A
win in the Georgia Dome
on Saturday would give
title-starved UGA a shot
at not only a champi
onship but some rare
national relevancy.