Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4B
December 12, 2012
^Reporter
Monroe County Outdoors
Cardinals provide a winter show of sight, song
BY TERRY W.
JOHNSON
northern cardinal is
I I \jne of our favorite birds. It
is pleasing to the eye, an
accomplished songster
and a bird that brightens
Monroe County backyards through
out the year. The fact that the cardi
nal has been named the official state
bird in seven states is a testimony to
how much this bird is admired.
Humans have had a long
standing affection
for the cardinal.
The Cherokees
believed that the
cardinal was the
daughter of the
sun. When the first
colonists arrived in
the New World,
they too were capti
vated with this
beautiful bird.
However,
European settlers
were so smitten by
the bird they almost loved it to
death. Literally thousands of
the birds were trapped and
shipped back to Europe where
they were sold as Virginia night -
inggales. Later thousands of car
dinals were slaughtered simply
because hat makers used their
feathers used to adorn women's
hats. Fortunately, laws were
eventually passed to protect the
cardinal and other songbirds.
During the 19th century, the
cardinal was considered to be
primarily a bird of the South.
However, a little over a century
ago the cardinal began expand
ing its range. Today you are apt
to see a cardinal in Boston,
Toronto and New York. In fact,
the cardinal now ranges over
most of the eastern two-thirds of
the U. S. and southern Canada.
Locally there is no better time
to enjoy cardinals than the win
ter. Although cardinals don't
migrate like white-throated
sparrows and juncos,
chances are you will see
more cardinals in your
backyard during the winter
than at any time of the
year. This is because cardi
nals form small flocks dur
ing the winter and often
descend on our backyards
in search of food.
If you want to attract a
lot of cardinals, keep your
feeders stocked with black
oil sunflower seeds.
Although the colorful birds will
eat other feeder offerings, there
is no question that sunflower
seeds are their preferred food.
During midwinter it is not
unusual to see a dozen or more
cardinals feeding on these oil-
rich seeds at our feeders. I par
ticularly enjoy watching cardi
nals feeding just before dark. At
this magical time of day, they
are one of the last birds to feed
before darkness envelopes the
land. In this subdued light the
male's plumage seems to glow.
If you want to take cardinal
watching to a whole new level,
all you have to do is learn to rec
ognize a few of the bird's fasci
nating mating rituals.
Fortunately, you can do this
from the comfort of your home
as they are acted out in your
own backyard. If you are inter
ested, there is no better time to
start than right now.
During the winter, for
the most part, male and
female cardinals get
along with one another
while they are feeding.
However, sometimes
when a female ventures
a little too close to a
feeding male, he will
quickly chase her away.
As you continue to
watch cardinals feed
throughout winter, one
day you might witness
something extraordi
nary. In fact, it might
surprise you so, you will
feel that you have to see
it again to believe it. A
male cardinal will pick
up a seed and offer it to a female
feeding nearby. A male sharing
seeds with a female becomes
more common in the spring and
will actually continue into early
summer. This is the first indica
tion that the breeding season is
just around the corner.
As any Monroe Countian can
attest, the cardinal has a beauti
ful song. Unlike many birds,
both males and females are
equally accomplished songsters.
Once the winter flocks have dis
banded and the birds have dis
persed across the countryside
and begun setting up their
breeding territories, it seems
that we can hear a cardinal
singing whenever we step out
into the yard.
What you per
haps didn't
know is that
mated pairs are
engaging in
what is called
countersinging.
Each bird will
perch at a dif
ferent spot
within their
breeding terri
tory. One bird
will sing a
phrase several
times. Its mate
will mimic the
song note for
note. When the
first bird alters
its song, the new melody is
quickly repeated by its mate.
Fortunately for those of us who
enjoy listening to the birds sing,
this back and forth duet can go
on for hours.
Since the ritual is also being
practiced by cardinals occupying
nearby territories, unless you
take time to spot the birds
singing, you don't know if you
are listening to a mated pair,
two males or females. It is
believed that this practice helps
cement the bond between a male
his female and perhaps even
helps define their breeding terri
tory.
Now comes the hard part. If
you are really lucky you might
even see a pair of cardinals in
what is called the lopsided pose.
It is seen far less often than food
sharing. Birds engaged in this
behavior will lean their bodies
one way and then another. This
creates a swaying motion.
Believe me, when you begin
noticing and understanding the
birds' mating behavior, cardinal
watching will be even more fun
than simply watching the birds
bathe and eat. It goes to show
that you can we can enjoy these
magnificent birds without
resorting to imprisoning them in
cages or wearing their feathers
on hats.
Terry Johnson has written
Monroe County Outdoors for
The Reporter for years. Email
your outdoor question or com
ment for him to
tjwoodduck@aol.com.
Humans have a long
standing affection for the
cardinal.
MP boys team drops first two region games
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Mary Persons boys basketball
team's record fell to 0-3 (0-2 in Region 2-
AAAA) after it was beaten 64-59 by
Lamar County on the road Saturday.
The loss came one night after a stirring
second-half comeback fell just six points
short in a 55-49 defeat to Perry in MP’s
home opener.
After trailing by double figures for
much of the game, MP pulled to within
five of Perry at 52-47 on a three-pointer
by sophomore guard Keri Brown with
1:45 left in the game.
With 51 seconds remaining, it appeared
MP forward Demarcus Davis had drawn
the Bulldogs to within three points on a
right-handed layup in the lane, but Davis
was instead called for a charge, and the
basket was waved off. Then, with just 26
seconds remaining, MP sharpshooter Tra
Taylor missed a wide-open, three-point
attempt from the left elbow. Taylor's shot
was right on line, but it came up short
barely scraping the bottom of the net.
Instead of drawing to within two, Perry's
Jemarcus Davis secured the rebound and
was fouled. Davis buried a pair of free
throws to extend the Panthers' lead to
seven and ice the game.
MP got off to a slow start against the
Panthers. Perry led 10-9 midway through
the first quarter when the Panthers'
Deonte Solomon and Kevin Ford drained
back-to-back three pointers to push
Perry's lead to seven. By the end of the
first quarter, Perry led 22-12, but MP was
able to cut Perry's lead to seven, 35-28,
by halftime.
The highlight of the third quarter was a
scramble for a loose ball near the MP
bench that resulted in a Veterans' player
knocking MP head coach Greg Nix, who
was making his home debut, into the rail
ing separating the bleachers from the
bench. The Bulldogs got no closer than
within five points in the period, and a
Ford teardrop late in the third quarter
pushed Perry's lead back to 10. By the
end of the third quarter, MP still trailed
45-34.
However, the Bulldogs' fortunes
changed early in the fourth quarter. MP
went on a 7-2 run to open the fourth
quarter. Sophomore center Quen Head
made a layup to start the period. Then,
freshman guard Que Perkins got a steal
and a layup to further trim Perry's
advantage. Perry answered with a bas
ket, but Brown's first of two fourth-quar
ter threes cut Perry's lead to 47-41. Perry
then responded with a 5-0 run of its own
on a corner three and a layup by guard
K.J. Smith, who led the Panthers with 14
points. Smith's five-point burst gave
Perry an 11-point lead with just 2:30 to
play before MP staged its final comeback
attempt.
Taylor and Head each scored 12 to lead
MP.
Nix, who was making his home debut,
said "untimely turnovers" ultimately
ruined his team's chance of winning but
said Perry frequently forces its opponents
into sloppy play with its pressure
defense.
Nix said, "Perry, I've been playing
against them for a long time, and they
make you play kind of funny because
they're always pressuring the ball,
always battling for loose balls and fight
ing for rebounds."
Nix said he thought MP fans "got their
money's worth" despite the home team's
loss.
He said, "I think they (MP fans) enjoyed
themselves, and they saw their basket
ball team get after it."
Nix said though he would
have liked to have won his
debut, it was a tough ask for
his team to beat Perry after
just four practices and a sin
gle game.
"I'll be disappointed in
about two or three weeks if
we're playing here and we
don't take care of our court,"
Nix said. "Now I'm just hop
ing they get out there and do
a few things that we're
teaching them."
Two days prior to the Perry
defeat, MP lost its season
opener 57-45 at Westside on
Wednesday.
MP fell behind by a dozen,
33-21, at halftime and
though the Bulldogs played
the Seminoles to a second-
half draw, MP was unable to
come back.
Taylor was the only
Bulldog in double figures
with 20 points, including five
three-pointers. Ronnie Mays
led Westside with 15 points.
MP was scheduled to play
at home against region foe
Rutland at 7:30 p.m. on
Tuesday. It is the Bulldogs'
final scheduled home game
until Jan. 8 though a make
up home contest with
Jackson could be rescheduled
for sometime before then.
MP will then travel to
Howard at 7:30 p.m. on
Friday for its final region
contest before Christmas break
2012-13 MP Varsity
Basketball Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
PLACE
TIME
Dec. 11
Rutland
Home
6:00 p.m.
Dec. 14
Howard
Away
6:00 p.m.
Dec. 15
Upson-Lee
Away
6:00 p.m.
Dec. 27-29 @ Veterans
Christmas Tour. TBA
Jan. 5
Jackson
Away
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 8
Baldwin
Home
6:00 p.m.
Jan.11
Veterans
Away
7:00 p.m.
Jan. 15
West Laurens
Away
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 18
Westside
Home
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 19
Upson-Lee
Home
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 22
Perry
Away
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 25
Rutland
Away
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 26
Houston County
Home
6:00 p.m.
Jan. 29
Howard
Home
6:00 p.m.
Feb. 1
Baldwin
Away
7:00 p.m.
Feb. 5
Veterans
Home
6:00 p.m.
Feb. 8
West Laurens
Home
6:00 p.m.
Feb. 12-16 Region Tournament TBA
TBA
Feb. 19-20 Round 1 State Playoffs
TBA
Feb. 22-23 Round 2 State Playoffs
TBA
Feb. 26-27 Quarters State Playoffs
TBA
Mar. 1-2
Semifinals State Playoffs
TBA
Mar. 7-9
Finals State Playoffs
TBA
* Times are for varsity girls games, which are played prior
to varsity boys games. Boys games will begin about a half
hour after the conclusion of the girls games.
** Makeup home games with Jackson and Lamar County
and a road game with Houston County will also be held dur
ing the season at unspecified dates.
The
contest with Upson-Lee.
Bulldogs will head back on the road at
7:30 p.m. on Saturday for a non-region
The Monroe County Middle School boys basketball team is
coached by Jason Morrow. Pictured on the front row from left to
right: Lontravius Edge, Ty Walker, Zach Harvey, Roger Akins,
Cam Holden, Montavious Rutland and Donovan Hogan. Pic
tured on the back row from left to right: Jatorian Hansford,
Blaine Kizer, Vic Henderson, Malik Herring, Trentavious Howard,
Cameron Calloway and Clay Moore. Not pictured: Andre
Threatt. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
■ ^Reporter
www.mymcr.net
]
The Monroe County Middle School girls basketball team is
coached by Josh Ridley. Team members include: Eighth
graders: NiquaCole (No. 14), Darmeshia Taylor (No. 34), Carmen
Ralls (No. 24), Olympia High (No. 23), Alyssah Mullis (No. 30),
Zykeria Rutland (No. 4), Jasmine Mann (No. 40) and T’Erica
Ogletree (No. 42). Seventh graders include: Laila Bell (No. 54),
Autumn Scott (No. 44), Trinity High (No. 20), Kver Shannon (No.
3), Abigail Hightower (No. 22), Dacaria Chatman (No. 32) and
Myjah Bledsoe (No. 5). Team managers include: Amber Harvey,
Joiyea Dumas and Tiara Brown. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
2012-13 Middle School
Basketball Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
PLACE
TIME
Dec. 10
Gray Station
Away
4:30 p.m.
Dec. 14
Clifton Ridge
Home
4:30 p.m.
Dec. 17
Crawford County
Away
4:30 p.m.
Dec. 19
Byron
Home
4:30 p.m.
Jan. 9
Crawford County
Home
4:30 p.m.
Jan. 11
Henderson
Away
5:00 p.m.
Jan. 14
Henderson
Home
4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16
Lamar County
Away
5:00 p.m.
Jan. 18
Gray Station
Home
4:30 p.m.
Jan. 25
Playoffs
TBA
TBA
Jan. 30
Playoffs
TBA
TBA
Feb. 1
Playoffs
TBA
TBA
* Girls games will immediately precede boys games.