WINNIPEG - January 31, 2008 - The public is advised that for the first time on record, this morning at Assiniboine Park Zoo, the powerful, staccato calls of the Steller’s Sea Eagle were captured using sophisticated sound-recording equipment. The female Sea Eagle Stella promptly obliged this morning with a series of beautiful calls that within minutes were sent electronically to the Minnesota Zoo. The recording will be used at the entry of the Russia’s Grizzly Coast Exhibit, opening this summer.

Since the calls of this rare and remote-dwelling species were never captured before, they have also been forwarded to the famous Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, for use in research and public interpretation.

The Sea Eagle calls were recorded through the expertise of Dr. James Hare, a University of Manitoba Professor, who (works closely with the Zoo on conservation related research projects and uses the Zoo as a study area for his students) carries out annually numerous research projects at the Zoo with his many students.

The recording exercise is a prime example of cooperation among zoos, universities and biological labs in the interests of wildlife research, conservation and education. The Zoological Society of Manitoba is spearheading the construction of a new Steller’s Sea Eagle Exhibit.

Stella arrived as a hand-raised orphan from the Tallinn Zoo, Estonia, while her mate Stanislaus was parent raised in the Liberec Zoo, Czech Republic. With her impressive size (wingspread of 2.1 metres) and massive bill, Stella can really belt out a tune, announcing her various moods to the world and her silent and shy, younger male partner.

The Sea Eagle, at 9 kg, double the weight of the Bald or Golden eagle, is the world’s largest eagle and bird of prey. Assiniboine Park Zoo is one of only eight facilities in North America to display this majestic but threatened species (4500 survive in the wild), native to the frigid Kamchatka coast of Siberia, where it hunts for salmon and seals.

Hopefully, offspring from the Winnipeg pair can be sent to Minnesota in a few years, to complete their exhibit.

WINNIPEG - January 31, 2008 - Winnipeg Golf Services’ Professional Golf Staff invite you to take a slice out of the winter blues. We are once again offering WINTER GOLF LESSONS.

Sessions begin the week of February 4th at three convenient locations:

• Harbour View Golf Course and Recreation Complex, 1867 Springfield Rd.;
• Fort Rouge Leisure Centre, 625 Osborne St.; and
• Norwood Community Centre, 87 Walmer St.
  

The program consists of four hours of golf instruction, one hour per week for four consecutive weeks. Afternoon and evening sessions are available. All instructors are members of the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association (CPGA).

In addition to the four hours of golf instruction, all participants will receive a rules booklet, a golf instruction booklet, and a pass for a round of golf at one of the City’s Municipal Golf Courses – Harbour View, Crescent Drive, Windsor Park or Kildonan Park.

All levels of ability are invited to participate. If you’ve never played, come out and learn the basics of the game. If you’re an experienced player, why not sharpen your skills during the off-season? Fees (including GST) are $50 for adults and seniors, $45 for children and youth.

For further information or to register, please call the Harbour View Pro Shop at 204-222-2751 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.