Ijams to offer 'Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival'

Ijams Nature Center will celebrate its ninth annual Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Some lucky participants might get to hold a ruby-throated hummingbird.

Mark Armstrong, a certified master bander, will demonstrate how ruby-throated hummingbirds are harmlessly captured, weighed, measured and banded. Because ruby-throated hummingbirds are most active in the early morning, banding demonstrations take place from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or until the last bird is captured, so attendees should come early for the best chance to see a bird.

Small groups will be able to visit Armstrong’s banding station to learn about hummingbirds, which normally weigh about one-tenth of an ounce, while he applies a numbered band to the bird’s leg. The band helps scientists track the bird’s migration. When banding is complete, one member of the group releases the hummingbird, which now can continue a journey that includes a 500-mile, nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America.

Experts say the flight takes about 20 hours in favorable conditions. During that time, the bird’s heart rate is about 1,200 beats per minute and its wings beat 53 times per second. To prepare, these fierce omnivores double their body mass by feeding on nectar and insects in the weeks prior to departure and can be seen chasing other birds and bees from their favorite food sources.

Native plant species such as trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, cardinal flower, trumpet vine, salvia and columbine are excellent food sources for ruby-throated hummingbirds. 

The festival also features nature talks led by expert gardeners, naturalists and birders, as well as visits with Ijams’ animal ambassadors, kids’ activities and crafts, and a marketplace featuring locally made arts and crafts, bird feeders and supplies, plants and garden décor, as well as food trucks and a beer garden.

Admission to the festival is $8 for ages 12+, $4 for children ages  5-11, and $20 per family (includes parents or guardians and up to four children). Children 4 and under may attend for free.

Ijams Nature Center is located at 2915 Island Home Avenue, Knoxville. For more information visit https://Ijams.org.

Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit, 315-acre educational nature center for all ages, abilities and walks of life. Ijams’ mission is to encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences.