BOB SARGENT
MALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
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The birds are fitted with a light-weight aluminum band that is inscribed with a unique number. |
10th Annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
Holly Springs, MS
September 12, 2009
Each fall thousands of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrate from Canada through Mississippi to their winter homes in Mexico and Central America. These birds are on the move now and are passing through Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, Mississippi’s flagship educational facility near Holly Springs. This is the site for the annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration and a hummingbird banding session given by the Hummer/Bird Study Group.
Upon arriving at the festival I headed to the Hummer/Bird Study Group tent where expert naturalist were on hand to discuss and interpret the life of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. As I arrived I was thrilled to see my friend and leader of the study group, Bob Sargent there. Bob was holding a male hummingbird and talking to an obviously interested crowd of onlookers.
Bob told us that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird female does all the work. He explained, “This is true of all species of hummers, he continued. She builds the nest, lays the eggs, feeds and cares for the young birds with no help from the male. All the male does is fertilize the eggs. Hummingbirds do not pair like most other birds. The male mates with as many females as possible but the female “appears” to choose the male. Their nests are normally 18-20 feet high and constructed from the down of dandelions and thistle, as well as hair and plant fibers. The nest are attached to the limb with spider webbing and covered with naturally occurring lichens that grow on trees.” Bob continued his talk on the lives of hummers and he also discussed the process and purpose of banding birds. When he finished, Bob let a lady hold the tiny bird and then the bird was released.
Next, so I could get a good set on the front row, I quickly headed to the Wildlife Wonder Tent for the “Live Bat Encounter” with Rob Miles, Director for the Organization for Bat Conservation. I was fortunate to get the good set because every chair was full and the tent was also packed with standing room only visitors.
Rob has been featured on television shows such as David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Martha Stewart, Rob has been working with bats since 1990, when he started studying the endangered Indian bat in the swamps of Michigan. The focus of his live animal programs is to educate people about the importance of bats in our ecosystem. He also dispels myths about bats, details the benefits of bats to the world, and encourages conservation efforts.
Every chair was full and the tent was packed with visitors. Although I have seen bats flying around church steeples, I’ve never had the privilege to seeing them up close and personal. What a thrilling experience!
The four bats displayed were from different parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Africa. We saw the Big Brown Bat, an African straw colored Fruit Bat, Rodriquez , a big Fruit Bat, and Camelia, a Flying Fox bat. Rodriquez had a wingspan of 6 feet!
Bats are extremely important. Yet due to years of unwarranted human fear and persecution, bats are in alarming decline. By putting up a bat house, you can help the bats by giving them a home, and you will also benefit from having fewer yard and garden pests. I did my part and purchased a 3-chamber bat house that will hold dozens of small brown bats.
After the bat demonstration, I headed to the Special Programs Tent to hear the talk, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” with Douglas Tallamy, Professor of Department of Entomology and Ecology at the University of Delaware. He told us that native plant gardening is becoming critically important to the survival of wildlife, particularly birds. Native plants attract many birds and the insects that birds eat. Using native plants in your garden or around your home creates a safe haven for birds and Douglas said that this type of landscape is becoming increasingly rare. He stated, “Gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife.” If you would like to learn more, he has just published a new book, Bringing Nature Home, which discusses the relationships between birds, insects, plants and people.
By this time, I was getting hungry but I just had to visit some craft tents! The craft and information tents were very organized. I found a neat wooden hummingbird trivet and some delicious homemade red pepper jelly. I also took a few minutes to walk through the historic Davis House. The festival included children’s activities, tours of the native plant gardens and yes, grilled hamburgers for the hungry guests!
Finally, I headed back to the Wildlife Wonders Tent to hear Fred Bassett, a member of the Hummer/Bird Study Group, who presented a talk about “South Eastern Hummingbirds, More than You may Think!” Fred told us that hummingbirds have excellent eyesight and have great fidelity in establishing feeding stops along their migration route. Attracting hummers to your yard requires planting some of the hummers favorite plants and putting out some nectar feeders made of sugar water. The ratio for your feeder is one part sugar to four parts water. Fred stressed, “Please, NO food coloring.” It is not necessary to buy ready-made nectar since the birds get all the vitamins, minerals and proteins they need from the natural nectar and insects they eat. He encouraged us as “birders” to keep up a feeder during the winter months. If you have a hummingbird after November 15th, contact one of the professionals at the Hummer/Bird Study Group as they will come, as time permits, to capture and document the species. You never know, you may have a first in your state recording of a bird species.
Information: The Hummer/Bird Study Group, Inc. P.O. Box 250 Clay, Alabama 35048; Telephone: (205) 681.2888 or e-mail: http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/.
As you can tell, this was an educational day chock full of fun and interactive activities for the entire family. I was very impressed and hope to attend again.
For those of you who are interested, the Fall Banding Session will be October 10 – 22, at Fort Morgan State Historical Park, Alabama. Bring your mosquito repellent at the activities begin at predawn. There will be a fee for entering the State Park. If you have never watched the banding process, this will be another wonderful learning opportunity. I’m marking my calendar now.
I hope you enjoy the pictures from Holly Springs Festival.
Chattyhummer
September 12, 2009
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
Holly Springs, MS
September 12, 2009
Each fall thousands of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrate from Canada through Mississippi to their winter homes in Mexico and Central America. These birds are on the move now and are passing through Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, Mississippi’s flagship educational facility near Holly Springs. This is the site for the annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration and a hummingbird banding session given by the Hummer/Bird Study Group.
Upon arriving at the festival I headed to the Hummer/Bird Study Group tent where expert naturalist were on hand to discuss and interpret the life of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. As I arrived I was thrilled to see my friend and leader of the study group, Bob Sargent there. Bob was holding a male hummingbird and talking to an obviously interested crowd of onlookers.
Bob told us that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird female does all the work. He explained, “This is true of all species of hummers, he continued. She builds the nest, lays the eggs, feeds and cares for the young birds with no help from the male. All the male does is fertilize the eggs. Hummingbirds do not pair like most other birds. The male mates with as many females as possible but the female “appears” to choose the male. Their nests are normally 18-20 feet high and constructed from the down of dandelions and thistle, as well as hair and plant fibers. The nest are attached to the limb with spider webbing and covered with naturally occurring lichens that grow on trees.” Bob continued his talk on the lives of hummers and he also discussed the process and purpose of banding birds. When he finished, Bob let a lady hold the tiny bird and then the bird was released.
Next, so I could get a good set on the front row, I quickly headed to the Wildlife Wonder Tent for the “Live Bat Encounter” with Rob Miles, Director for the Organization for Bat Conservation. I was fortunate to get the good set because every chair was full and the tent was also packed with standing room only visitors.
Rob has been featured on television shows such as David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Martha Stewart, Rob has been working with bats since 1990, when he started studying the endangered Indian bat in the swamps of Michigan. The focus of his live animal programs is to educate people about the importance of bats in our ecosystem. He also dispels myths about bats, details the benefits of bats to the world, and encourages conservation efforts.
Every chair was full and the tent was packed with visitors. Although I have seen bats flying around church steeples, I’ve never had the privilege to seeing them up close and personal. What a thrilling experience!
The four bats displayed were from different parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Africa. We saw the Big Brown Bat, an African straw colored Fruit Bat, Rodriquez , a big Fruit Bat, and Camelia, a Flying Fox bat. Rodriquez had a wingspan of 6 feet!
Bats are extremely important. Yet due to years of unwarranted human fear and persecution, bats are in alarming decline. By putting up a bat house, you can help the bats by giving them a home, and you will also benefit from having fewer yard and garden pests. I did my part and purchased a 3-chamber bat house that will hold dozens of small brown bats.
After the bat demonstration, I headed to the Special Programs Tent to hear the talk, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” with Douglas Tallamy, Professor of Department of Entomology and Ecology at the University of Delaware. He told us that native plant gardening is becoming critically important to the survival of wildlife, particularly birds. Native plants attract many birds and the insects that birds eat. Using native plants in your garden or around your home creates a safe haven for birds and Douglas said that this type of landscape is becoming increasingly rare. He stated, “Gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife.” If you would like to learn more, he has just published a new book, Bringing Nature Home, which discusses the relationships between birds, insects, plants and people.
By this time, I was getting hungry but I just had to visit some craft tents! The craft and information tents were very organized. I found a neat wooden hummingbird trivet and some delicious homemade red pepper jelly. I also took a few minutes to walk through the historic Davis House. The festival included children’s activities, tours of the native plant gardens and yes, grilled hamburgers for the hungry guests!
Finally, I headed back to the Wildlife Wonders Tent to hear Fred Bassett, a member of the Hummer/Bird Study Group, who presented a talk about “South Eastern Hummingbirds, More than You may Think!” Fred told us that hummingbirds have excellent eyesight and have great fidelity in establishing feeding stops along their migration route. Attracting hummers to your yard requires planting some of the hummers favorite plants and putting out some nectar feeders made of sugar water. The ratio for your feeder is one part sugar to four parts water. Fred stressed, “Please, NO food coloring.” It is not necessary to buy ready-made nectar since the birds get all the vitamins, minerals and proteins they need from the natural nectar and insects they eat. He encouraged us as “birders” to keep up a feeder during the winter months. If you have a hummingbird after November 15th, contact one of the professionals at the Hummer/Bird Study Group as they will come, as time permits, to capture and document the species. You never know, you may have a first in your state recording of a bird species.
Information: The Hummer/Bird Study Group, Inc. P.O. Box 250 Clay, Alabama 35048; Telephone: (205) 681.2888 or e-mail: http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/.
As you can tell, this was an educational day chock full of fun and interactive activities for the entire family. I was very impressed and hope to attend again.
For those of you who are interested, the Fall Banding Session will be October 10 – 22, at Fort Morgan State Historical Park, Alabama. Bring your mosquito repellent at the activities begin at predawn. There will be a fee for entering the State Park. If you have never watched the banding process, this will be another wonderful learning opportunity. I’m marking my calendar now.
I hope you enjoy the pictures from Holly Springs Festival.
Chattyhummer
September 12, 2009
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