There were birdies and eagles on and off the course on Wednesday, July 15, at Grand National golf course.
At the Barbasol Championship in Opelika, bird handlers educated fans and golfers alike on six birds brought from the Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University.
Tournament director Jonathan Romeo said the event was all about providing an opportunity for everyone at the tournament to learn about the great work done by the raptor center.
“Having the birds come out and be a part of [the tournament] is a way to give more back to the community and let people understand around the world what happens here in Auburn and Opelika besides great football and great golf,” Romeo said. “The most important thing is it brings awareness. When you educate the world about the wonderful facility that is down here [in Auburn] that does something great for wildlife and for animals, I think that’s just another piece of the pie. Golf is golf, but we want to expose folks from all over the world about what other things there are here in the Opelika and Auburn areas.”
Nova and Spirit, the two eagles that fly before Auburn football games, were in attendance at the event, along with other birds such as a screech owl, turkey vulture, barn owl and red-tailed hawk.
Marianne Hudson, assistant director of education and raptor training at the Southeastern Raptor Center, said the tournament was a great opportunity to educate people about the services provided by the center while allowing them to get up-close views of birds.
“We are a local resource for people to learn about raptors and other nature-related topics,” Hudson said. “The Southeastern Raptor Center does quite a bit of rehabilitation of injured, ill or orphaned birds. Our veterinary staff does their very best to treat the birds’ problems and release them back into the wild. When the birds are not releasable, they come live with us and do educational presentations.”
Golfer Patton Kizzire, a Tuscaloosa native who played golf at Auburn, said the raptor center’s involvement in the tournament was great for the community and the golf tournament.
“This is really cool,” Kizzire said. “Being up close and personal with these birds is something that a lot of people don’t get to experience. They’re really neat animals [with] different personalities, different tendencies. It’s just really cool to see their talons and beaks right up close and personal and see how big some of them are.”
Parker McLachlin, a golfer on the PGA TOUR, said he was very impressed by the birds.
“Being out on the golf course, we see a lot of hawks, once in a while we’ll see an owl or two, once in a while an eagle,” McLachlin said. “If you’re a golf lover, you’re a lover and appreciator of nature. You see them flying so high in the sky, to see them this close, I was pretty awestruck.”
McLachlin said the Birdies and Eagles event was a unique event that sets the Barbasol Championship apart from other tournaments.
“This is pretty exclusive [to this tournament],” McLachlin said. “I just think it’s cool for people in general to get an understanding and appreciation for these animals because they’re pretty spectacular. It’s pretty cool to get to see these guys up close.”
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