Hummingbird Festival

Which weighs more, a hummingbird or a nickel? Hummingbird iconHow do ruby-throated hummingbirds use spider webs? Hummingbird iconCan hummingbirds fly backwards? Find out at the Hummingbird Festival! Celebrate Tennessee's Tiny Travelers! hummingbird festival-9139Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only hummingbird species that nests in Tennessee, but they can't survive here over the winter when the flowers and insects are gone. So, each fall they embark on one of the most incredible journeys in the bird world: from their North American breeding grounds to their winter homes in southern Mexico or northern Central America. To get there, they fly nearly 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico—a taxing trip that takes them 18 to 20 hours in good weather! In the weeks leading up to their departure, hummingbirds go into full fuel-up mode. They feed heavily on nectar and insects, nearly doubling their body weight to store the energy they’ll need for this epic flight. Watch them as they dart around the Wilderness Station's feeders — and into the special traps set by Southeastern Avian Research's Cyndi Routledge. Cyndi fits them with miniscule aluminum leg bands, individually numbered, and sends them on their way. Will she catch any birds that she banded last year? Will any turn up that were banded somewhere else? Come early to watch all the action and find out! Then attend a presentation and visit with reps from conservation organizations to learn a whole lot more about these fascinating birds and how we all can help them along their journey. Presentations: 8:00-10:45 ~ Hummingbird Banding, Cyndi Routledge, Southeastern Avian Research* 10:45: Tagging Butterflies: Citizen Science with Monarch Watch, Lauren May, Outdoor Murfreesboro Natural Resources 11:15 ~ Meet the Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Tiny Pollinators, Big Adventurers! Cyndi Routledge, Southeastern Avian Research 12:30 ~ Butterflies of Tennessee, Rita Venable, author of Butterflies of Tennessee: Field and Garden 1:30 ~ Hummingbird Photography: iPhone to Pro, Kim McCollom, Photographer, Boro Birders * No afternoon hummingbird banding.