Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival set for Saturday, August 24

The third annual Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival is Saturday, August 24, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Admission: $5, children under six are admitted free.

Presented by the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and Ijams Nature Center, visitors will have the opportunity to see ruby-throated hummingbirds up-close at a banding demonstration by Mark Armstrong, a certified Master Bander.

Hummingbirds will be harmlessly captured, weighed, measured and banded before being sent on their way.

Banding provides a way to document hummingbird movement during migration. August and September are busy migration months in Tennessee with thousands of hummingbirds moving south on their way to wintering grounds in Central America and southern Mexico.

The festival will also feature speakers on nature topics, wildlife educational demonstrations, guided walks and vendors selling food and drinks, plants, locally made arts and crafts, bird feeders and supplies, garden items and a “Bargain Barn” selling new and gently used merchandise with nature themes.

Speakers include:

• T. David Pitts, Professor of Biology, UT Martin will talk about “The Hummingbirds that Nest in your Yard”.

• Marcia Davis, Birdlife Columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel

• David Unger, Professor of Biology, Maryville College

• Steve McGaffin, Naturalist and Educator for the Knoxville Zoo.

• Lynne McCoy, a local wildlife rehabilitator

Festival sponsors: Wild Birds Unlimited, Perky Pet, Prism Pools and Visionary Horizons Wealth Management.

- Art and photo by Vickie Henderson