Labor Day weekend is a good time to find local festivals and events to attend. I attended a hummingbird festival, and to be honest, I did not know there was such a thing. It was a great combination of education, fun, and uniqueness.
These physics-defying tiny creatures were the focus of the annual Hummingbird Festival in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Every September for more than a decade, the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park in middle Tennessee has held the festival before the hummingbirds migrate south for the winter.
Hummingbirds start to gather at the station because feeders are put out at the beginning of summer, and the number of feeders is doubled in mid-July to attract even more birds, according to Charles Hall-Walker, Wilderness Station Facility Coordinator. He explains that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the native species seen in Tennessee that migrates to Mexico.
According to Southeastern Avian Research (SEAR), most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrate across the Gulf of Mexico each spring and fall. It generally takes about 18-24 hours for hummingbirds to fly across the Gulf. They winter in Central America and southern Mexico.
SEAR participates in research, bands birds (attaching a tag to a bird’s leg for identification and tracking), and provides education about birds. The non-profit organization located in Clarksville, Tennessee, is under the leadership of Federally Licensed Master Bander Cynthia Routledge. Routledge was at the event to band birds and promote education about hummingbirds.
In addition, Routledge does avian conservation contract work for The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, manages the Tennessee Watchable Wildlife website, is secretary of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, and president of the Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.
Some Tennessee residents spot hummingbirds in the winter. A Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department employee assisting Routledge with banding explained that some Ruby-throated hummingbirds might not migrate. Another reason a winter hummingbird might be seen is that a western hummingbird’s migration path is atypical due to something such as a storm affecting its journey.
According to SEAR, some hummingbirds stay for a brief visit or even the entire winter in Tennessee. They often spend the winter in one location. Some return to the same home every year. It explains that winter hummingbirds are not lost and will not be harmed by the winter weather; if they do not find your yard habitable, they will move to a location where they are able to survive. SEAR also claims that 300 western hummingbirds have been banded since 1990 in Tennessee and that over the years, 14 different species of hummingbirds have been documented in the eastern United States in the winter. SEAR suggests leaving a feeder up during the winter, where it can be easily observed with a nectar mixture (in a ratio of 1 part white table sugar to 4 parts water and no red food dye or coloring), changing the nectar every 2-3 days in warm temperatures or when the nectar becomes cloudy, rinsing before adding nectar each time, and cleaning your feeder once per week. You can also plant nectar-producing plants (without the use of pesticides) if you cannot maintain a feeder.
Why should you consider hosting a winter hummingbird feeder? SEAR’s site states that collaboration between residents feeding the birds and researchers is providing information on the behavior of migrating birds that once were thought to be lost or in peril, and it has informed researchers that the migratory behavior of these birds is much more flexible than previously thought. SEAR assures everyone that it is acceptable to keep hummingbird feeders up year-round and that doing so does not cause Ruby-throated hummingbirds to remain in your yard as a variety of factors, such as changes in the hours of daylight and genetic predisposition, triggers migration. However, by leaving up your feeder, you may spot a western hummingbird.
What should you do if you see a hummingbird at your feeder between November 15 and March 15? SEAR asks that you contact a nearby hummingbird bander to report the sighting; they might ask permission to come to your home to band the bird and release it there.
A chance discovery of my local Hummingbird Festival allowed me to observe hummingbird banding and learn about their behavior. It might lead to me attempting to host a winter hummingbird so I can be a part of research and provide an exciting year-round opportunity for my family.