Newspaper Page Text
March 8, 2023
Pog , 2 c a Reporter
Track Dogs win Viking Invitational
The Mary Persons track
team won The Viking In
vitational at the FPD track
last Wednesday, March 1.
The Bulldogs beat out
four other teams, FPD,
ACE, Central Fellowship
and Bethlehem Christian.
Here’s how Mary Persons
athletes finished:
GIRLS
100 Meter Dash:
lst-Makayla Zeller (14.12),
3rd-Cydney Brown (14.66)
and 9th-Lucy Bogan
(15.26)
200 Meter Dash:
lst-Makayla Zeller (29.36),
2nd-Zora Bigham (29.46),
4th-Cydney Brown (30.72)
and 6th-Lucy Bogan
(31.36)
400 Meter Dash: lst-Jay-
la Barkley (1:05.46 and
2nd-Sarah Davis (1:07.54)
800 Meter Run: 2nd-Ab
bey Stembridge (2:41.84),
3rd-Kolbi McBrayer
(2:44.64), 4th-Alanna
Wood (2:49.18) and
5th-Olivia Tanner (2:50.79)
1600 Meter Run: 2nd-Ga-
briella Hoover (6:01.57),
3rd-Kolbi McBrayer
(6:05.17), 5th-Alanna
Wood (6:17.49) and 8th-
Lily Colley (6:31.91)
3200 Meter Run:
3rd-Madelyn Causey
(13:25.64)
100 Meter Hurdles:
2nd-Niah Bigham (19.89),
6th-Hannah Yanez (21.63)
and 7th-Arielle Kent
(21.67)
300 Meter Hurdles:
lst-Kalonis Outlaw (19.89)
and 3rd-Hannah Yanez
(21.67)
4x100 Meter Relay:
lst-Relay Team (53.34)
4x400 Meter Relay:
lst-Relay Team (4:40.20)
4x800 Meter Relay:
lst-Relay Team (11:05.67)
High Jump: 4th-Hannah
Yanez (4-2)
Long Jump: lst-Kalonis
Outlaw (15-2), 2nd-Zora
Bigham (14-4.25) and
7th-Hannah Yanez (12-7)
Discus: lst-Zora Bigham
(81-5), 3rd-Niah Bigham
(72-9), 4th-Atrinity Phillips
(70-5) and 7th-Breyona
Wilson (39-7)
Shotput: 3rd-Zora
Bigham (22-10), 4th-Ni-
ah Bigham (21-3) and
5th-Atrinity Phillips (17-
11)
BOYS
100 Meter Dash: 3rd-
Champ Brantley (11.49),
6th-Brandon Alford
(12.04), 9th-Julian Major
(12.25) and llth-J.T. Ow
ens (12.65)
200 Meter Dash:
3rd-Christian Stewart
(23.93), 4th-Marcus Gunt-
ter (24.63), 7th-Sidney Car
ter (26.16) and 9th-Jaylen
Merritt (26.70)
400 Meter Dash:
lst-Christian Stewart
(56.51), lst-Christian
Stewart (56.51), lst-Chris
tian Stewart (56.51) and
5th-Carter Stembridge
(1:00.06)
800 Meter Rim: 3rd-
Bryce Shelton (2:41.84),
5th-Conner Wooley
(2:44.64), 7th-Carter
Stembridge (2:49.18) and
10th-Anderson Harris
(2:50.79)
1600 Meter Rim:
2nd-Jonathan Head
(5:16.72) and 4th-Mac
Roeser (5:39.05)
3200 Meter Run: 3rd-Jon
athan Head (11:41.12) and
4th-Mac Roeser (11:45.76)
100 Meter Hurdles:
2nd-Julian Major (17.72),
8th-Jaylen Merritt (20.77)
and lOth-Adrion Barkley
(23.15)
300 Meter Hurdles:
lst-Marcus Guntter
(45.62), 2nd-R.J. Holder
(45.68) and 5th-Gavin
Martin (47.27)
4x100 Meter Relay:
2nd-Relay Team (45.48)
4x400 Meter Relay:
3rd-Relay Team (4:14.81)
4x800 Meter Relay:
lst-Relay Team (10:06.44)
High Jump: lst-Ty Du
mas (15-2), 4th-Nehemiah
Jones (15-4) and 8th-Adri-
on Barkley (4-8)
Long Jump: 2nd-Marcus
Guntter (19-0.75), 5th-Ne-
hemiah Jones (17-5.75) and
7th-Adrion Barkley (14-11)
UNKNOWN EVENT:
lst-Brandon Alford (42-7),
Champ Brantley (40-11)
and 5th-Adrion Barkley
(35-4)
Pole Vault: 2nd-R.J. Hold
er (9-0) and 5th-Cayden
Burnette (6-6)
Discus: 1st-Van Tane
(130-0), 5th-J’vyon Tatum
(106-10), and 6th-Caden
Lavinka (89-8)
Shotput: 2nd-Van Tane
(39-4), 3rd-Andon Riley
(38-3) and 5th-Gevone
Sands (36-1)
The Reporter will be
previewing the MP track
teams soon. To salute your
Bulldog, call 994-2358 or
email business@mymcr.
net.
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Hummingbirds will arrive any day now
Hummingbirds will begin arriving in Monroe County soon and
will be looking for energy-producing food from feeders and
the blooms of native plants. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
A s far as Mon
roe County
hummingbird
fanciers are con
cerned, March is one of the
most exciting times of the
year. This is because they
know that once Pebruary
gives way to March the
countdown to the arrival
of the first ruby-throated
hummingbird is winding
down.
Beginning in
late Pebruary and
early March ru-
bythroats winter
ing in the shade-
grown coffee
plantations and
other habitats in
Latin America
begin their long
journey home
to their breeding
grounds in eastern North
America. The first birds to
depart are the males. They
are prompted to leave by
increasing day length and
changes in the angle of the
sun.
The first rubythroats
arrive in the United States in
Florida as early as March 1.
However, some humming
birds appear in Southwest
Georgia in the second
week in February. Herein
Monroe County, in three
separate years, ruby-throated
hummingbirds found Dottie
Henderson’s home on March
10.
However, on the average,
most Monroe Countians
don’t see their first hum
mer until March 20. By
April 1, the hummingbird
migration reaches southern
Tennessee and the south
west tip of North Carolina.
Residents of southern New
York and Massachusetts
often have to wait until May
1 to see their first hummer.
It is hard for us to imagine
that it takes
ruby-throated
hummingbirds
until May 20 to
reach Maine.
The yel
low-bellied sap-
sucker plays
an important
role in the
ruby-throated
humming
bird’s spring
migration. It seems that
yellow-bellied sapsuckers
wintering in Georgia begin
leaving in March. It is no
coincidence this corresponds
with the arrival of rubyth
roats. It seems ruby-throated
hummingbirds follow sap-
suckers northward feeding
on the sap that collects in
the tiny wells the sapsuck
ers chisel out in the winter
to feed themselves during
migration. This is important
to hummingbirds as nectar
plants are scarce along their
migration route.
If you are one of those
hummingbird fans that can
not wait until the first bird
arrives in your yard, here are
a few tips that may help you
see your first hummingbird
earlier than ever before.
One the most important
thing you can do is to go
ahead and hang up at least
one feeder in your yard in
early March. I can’t tell you
how many times people
have told me that before
they took their humming
bird feeders out of storage
they have spotted a hungry
rubythroat hovering in a
location where a feeder was
placed the previous year. Yes,
hummingbirds remember
the location of your yard
and the places where feeders
provided them food.
If you have a spacious yard,
hang at least one feeder out
in the open. Since rubyth
roats have the equivalent
of 8X binocular vision, this
gives migrating rubythroats
a better chance of spotting a
feeder from a distance.
Some people even try to
the lure early spring hum
mers to their yards by plac
ing strips of red ribbons or
flagging on shrubs scattered
across their yards. This is
done in hopes the red objects
will attract the attention of
hummingbirds flying past
their yard and prompt them
to drop down to see if they
can find food there. Once
the hummers have flown in
for a closer look, they hope
the birds will find their
feeders.
Having trees growing in
your yard that are annually
used by sapsuckers can be
a plus. Rubythroats that
dined at the sapsucker holes
drilled in the trees in past
years might return to this
source of sugary energy
again another year.
It will also help if you have
hummingbird nectar plants
blooming in your yard.
Sources of wild nectar are
hard to come by in Monroe
County early in the hum
mingbird season. However,
there are a smattering of
plants that do supply nectar.
Dogwoods and ornamen
tal flowering trees offer the
birds little nectar. On the
other hand, while redbud
blossoms don’t have copious
amount of nectar, they do
produce some and are visited
by the early hummingbird.
The ornamental azaleas
that bloom throughout
Georgia in the spring offer
the birds little nectar. How
ever, our native azaleas do
provide nectar consumed
by hummingbirds, butter
flies and other early spring
pollenators.
The yellow tubular-shaped
blossoms of yellow jasmine
are also sometimes visited
by the birds. However,
hummingbirds feed at the
long slender flowers of coral
honeysuckle much more
often.
A little later in the spring,
hummingbirds will feed at
the beautiful blossoms of
crossvine. The native grows
throughout Monroe County.
The blooms of crossvine
and coral honeysuckle are
so stunning they are great
plants plants to grow on
fences and arbors.
Another native plant
you should not overlook is
lyreleaf sage. Some call it a
weed since it will sometimes
pop up in lawns. If allowed
to bloom, the plants produce
an abundance of pale laven
der tubular-shaped blos
soms. The plants can also be
grown in large containers
and gardens—their blooms
are that beautiful.
Now that the final count
down is measured in days
instead of weeks, we all need
to keep our eyes peeled
for the magical little birds
that brings us so much joy
throughout the spring and
summer.
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column Monroe Outdoors
for the Reporter for many
years. His book, A Journey
to Discovery’’ is available at
The Reporter. Email him at
tjwoodduck@bellsouth. net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON