Second Annual KTOS HummerFest held at Ijams

The second annual KTOS Hummingbird Festival was recently held at Ijams. 

Ruby-throated hummingbird specialists Bob and Martha Sargent spoke about what they have learned about the species after a lifetime of study. Chattanooga plant expert Chris Mahoney was also on hand to speak about the flowers that hummingbirds love, while Mark Armstrong held a hummingbird banding demonstration on the back terrace of the Visitor Center. 

Special thanks to Billie Cantwell and the rest of the KTOS members who organized the affair, sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited, Bob and Martha Sargent, Mark Armstrong, Jane Kading, Mindy Fawver and Vickie Henderson.

Mark Armstrong, Curator of Birds at the Knoxville Zoo, is a local licensed bird bander.

Before the bird is banded, it is weighed, measured and the gender is determined.

How big is a band that fits on a hummingbirds leg? 
Eighteen of the tiny metal rings will fit on one side of a small safety pin.

Male ruby-throated hummingbird.

And what would a festival be without food, plants, arts and crafts? Outside, on the plaza, a wide range of items were sold by local, smiling vendors. Here's a small sampling:

Thanks to Marcia Davis for writing about the event in her News Sentinel column

Photos by Linda McGill and Pam Petko-Seus.