Vickie Henderson Art: Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival Celebrates Its Fourth Year!

The Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival celebrated its fourth year on Saturday, August 23rd at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, offering visitors an exciting day of nature-related activities, including hummingbird banding!

Above, the logo art found on all the signs, t-shirts, schedules and banners at the festival. Everytime I saw a new sign or banner for this year's festival, I couldn't help but smile. This watercolor image is one of my most spontaneous and playful sketches and I am happy to see it inspiring people to enjoy hummingbirds!

New this year, the festival offered a special area for children's activities. Children were given opportunity to view a slide show introduction to birds, participate in a bird walk lead by Discover Birds volunteer, Chris Welsh and other KTOS volunteers, create bird feeders from pinecones and bagels, make their own hummingbird paintings, and participate in a migration game, among other available activities.

Photo credit: Billie Cantwell.

Above, young festival visitors make bird feeders with peanut butter and pine cones.

Photo credit: Karen Wilkinson

Above and below, an activity table loaded with paints, brushes, markers and paper supplied young artists all the tools they needed to display their talents!

Photo credit: Karen Wilkinson

Photo credit: Billie Cantwell

More than 100 visitors, children and adults, enjoyed viewing the Barred Owl, below, while on their nature walks at the festival. The owl dropped down to the creek behind the brush for a few minutes, out of sight, but delighted when he flew back up to a limb dripping wet from his bath and remained in view for the birding telescope and cameras. Everyone enjoyed great looks.

Photo credit: Jimmy Tucker

Photo credit: Billie Cantwell

Lynne McCoy, above, wildlife rehabilitator, displayed "Hawkeye", a Broadwinged Hawk, and "Pockets", the ground hog, pictured below, along with other wildlife species, educating both children and adults. Everyone enjoyed petting Pockets and he seemed to enjoy it too. When he grew tired of all the attention, he rolled over on his back and went to sleep!