Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival is a Great Success!

Knoxville's Wonder of Hummingbirds Festival was a big hit again this year with more than a thousand visitors attending.  Visitors were treated to hummingbird banding, heard educational speakers, watched wildlife demonstrations, and enjoyed vendors with plants, nature related arts and crafts, and, of course, food!

Mark Armstrong, Knoxville's Master Hummingbird bander was assisted by a team from the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (KTOS) and visitors were able to see hummingbirds expertly banded, measured, and weighed, and each bird released safely back into the wild.

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell

While Mark was banding hummingbirds, other visitors enjoyed wildlife demonstrations, including parrots, a non-releaseable ground hog and other mammals, and a lovely female American Kestrel exhibited by Stephen Lyn Bales of Ijams.

I abandoned my art exhibit twice to listen to speakers, including David Unger of Maryville College on "The Good Wolf", a presentation that included the myths surrounding the public's fear of wolves and a very interesting report on the beneficial impact of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park.  Scientists found far more benefit to the ecosystem than they expected.

Biologist David Pitts, below, shared his fascinating study on Ruby-throated hummingbird nesting and the female hummingbird's amazing nesting behavior which has never before been documented.

You probably know by now that female hummingbirds do all the nest building and rearing of young.  They often nest more than one time in a season.  But did you know that they may be laying eggs in one nest while still feeding young in another? Amazingly busy creatures!  More about this interesting lecture in a later blog post.

The festival was packed with vendors including nature crafts, art and photography, plants for your hummingbird garden, and a variety of other nature related vendors including hummingbird feeders, hummingbird swings, and other aids to help your enjoyment of birds.

  Below, Tom Howe, of KTOS, helps a young visitor look through binoculars.

And Cyndi Routledge, below, shows off a Tawny Emperor that rests on her finger.  There were a number of these butterflies around the nature center grounds and visitors had fun viewing them as they landed to feed on salt and minerals.

Stephany Porco, a self-described "butterfly geek", was more than happy to receive the butterfly from Cyndi and study it more closely.

Below, my exhibit table at the festival with watercolor prints, note cards and festival logo mugs (now my favorite coffee mug!)    

It was fun to see my art walking around the festival on logo T-shirts worn by all the KTOS volunteers.  The shirts were also sold to visitors to raise funds for the non-profit organization's conservation projects. 
Below, the beautiful logo banner that welcomed visitors to the festival.  You can find prints and note cards of this watercolor on my website at the following link:  Vickie Henderson Art.

The festival was co-sponsored by the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and Ijams Nature Center.  KTOS is a non-profit organization that promotes the enjoyment, scientific study and conservation of birds.  Ijams Nature Center seeks to increase knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the natural world by providing quality environmental education and nature related experiences.

Links and resources:
More about hummingbird banding and hummingbirds on this blog
To see a discussion of this painting in process:  Hummingbird Studies
More on hummingbird art
Ruby-throated hummingbirds

Swarming Hummingbirds Inspire Art

You won't be surprised that I think the most satisfying way to celebrate a joyful experience with a bird is to draw or paint that bird. That's just what seven-year-old Gail wanted to do, too, after having her close and exciting experience with the many hummingbirds that swarmed her Paris, TN, yard to visit feeders as a cold front was moving through.

I received Gail's permission to post her beautiful hummingbird drawing here, colored with Prisma watercolor pencils.

After I published the first post about her experience, "Swarming Hummingbirds Find a Special Perch", I thought about the patience it takes to wait for thirsty hummingbirds to settle down to perch before taking a drink.  When you watch the video you will see that Gail has that patience.  You will also see hummingbirds zipping all around her.  Even though there are five larger feeders, hummers still come to Gail and her small one-well feeder.  Her steady focus is rewarded.

Video credit:  Shawna Ellis

In Tennessee, hummingbirds more commonly trickle through our yards and stay so briefly that we don't see them unless we are sitting outside or watching through a window.  We seldom know how many are hidden among the tree limbs.  This is one of those special migration events that come rarely and unexpectedly when hummers advance on feeders in large numbers.  Gail's mother took the opportunity to offer Gail an unforgettable experience--her first time to be close to hummingbirds.  I am sure she will never forget it!

To see the first post about Gail's hummingbird experience visit:  Swarming Hummers Find a Special Perch

Visit the Discover Birds Blog to see how Knoxville's Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society is helping to inspire more children Gail's age to enjoy birds.

Links and Resources:

To see more hummingbird blog posts visit this link:  Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

To find more facts about hummingbirds visit the Hummer Bird Study Group

The Beauty of Hummingbird Feathers

As long as these little jewels are around, I feel compelled to step outside and spend time among them, especially knowing that in only a few weeks they will be gone.

Above you see a male ruby-throated hummingbird guarding his nectar source by perching on top of the "flower".  And I had a delightful time capturing the images you see below.

I was standing near the holly, a place where hummers like to settle, either to hide until they can approach the feeder or to wait in order to ambush other hummers arriving.  I discovered by accident one morning, that they ignore me if I'm already there when they arrive.  I'm very visible but quiet, standing with camera ready, so that when I actually do take an image, I'm moving very little.  Busy and intent on feeding or defending their nectar source, hummingbirds land near me.  If they didn't notice me before and are uneasy, they may move to a different twig, but generally they ignore me.

In this position, I am also directly across from a feeder that hangs from a shepherd's hook.  In the images above and below, you see a hummer guarding that feeder by perching on the end of the hook.  In the morning light, even though overcast, I was in the perfect spot to capture these images.  

And I wanted you to see these beautiful feathers.  Rows and rows of gorgeous, emerald feathers that glisten many hues, even in overcast light.  Though the male's flashy ruby throat is dazzling, you have to agree that the ruby-throated hummingbird's emerald feathers are among the most beautiful you've ever seen.  (click on any image to enlarge)

I also had a chance to sketch hummingbirds last weekend.  Attempting this was exceptionally satisfying.  Keep in mind, ruby-throats beat their wings at 40-80 beats per second, and can move at speeds of 30-50 mph.  They were kind enough to hover and perch some while I sketched, but mostly they were on the move, any stillness quickly meeting disruption.  There certainly was no waiting around for a hummer to appear.  It was fascinating to watch them in this way, to turn off symbolic memory and actually search for the details, limiting focus and honing memory to try to catch one solid detail--the line of the back, the distance between neck and wings, the shape of the top of the head, how that beak connects to the face.  Fascinating to feel the adjustments your vision and memory make, realizing you only get a glimpse, less than a second to get it down.

For more about this sketching experience visit:  Sketching Hummingbirds in Flight at Vickie's Sketchbook.  To see more of my hummingbird images on this blog visit:  ruby-throated hummingbirds.  

The Hummingbird Days of Summer

This has become one of my favorite times of year.  Not necessarily September's weather, but because a wonderful mob of hummers is passing through.

Just about any morning I have the opportunity, you will find me sitting on the patio, coffee in hand, sometimes camera, with hummingbirds all around me as I watch the interactions at the feeders.  And the juvenile antics add a big plus to the pleasure.  Just a day ago, I looked out the window before going out and found one juvenile perched on the top of the feeder he was guarding, and another one perched on the shepherd's hook with the feeder he guarded hanging below him.  And today, I noticed two adult males feeding at the same time on one feeder.  It's fascinating to know that subtle hummer communication made that possible, when otherwise, they would be embattled.

Unlike the northeast, we have needed rain badly in east Tennessee.  So this evening when a storm moved in, I sat out under the shelter of the deck, enjoying its approach. Our temperature had reached 97 F, the humidity making that feel like 100 degrees of suffocating air.  The storm blew in packing 30-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph and within an hour the temps had plummeted to the low 70's.  A welcomed change.  As the wind picked up, I watched as several hummers tried to reach the feeders by flying into a headwind.  It pushed them backward.  This was not easy to watch.  But their quick adjustment was heartening.  After several attempts, they would adjust direction, sometimes moving to a different feeder to get a better angle or a different wind effect.  As soon as the wind slumped, it seemed like hummers were falling out of the sky, and not peacefully either.  They arrived again with full attitude until the gusts picked up again. Amazing creatures!

And my favorite moment of all this week happened when I was just standing in the right place at the right time.  A petite little female landed on the feeder right in front of me.  She was so close I could have reached out and touched her.  I didn't move, just stood there watching her, in awe of her beauty.

A special moment in the hummingbird days of summer.

Links and resources:

For more information about hummingbirds and their migration click this link to my posts on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.  And to see more of my hummingbird art, visit my bird gallery.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration

I'm stuck on hummingbirds right now.  They are so entertaining that I can't get enough of watching them.  I have a ring-side seat right in front of the nectar feeders--four of them--and the birds don't seems to mind. With this intimate view, I see lots of interesting behaviors.  

Like juveniles 'flight-wrestling'.  With tails fanned, their bodies in vertical positions, they circle each other,  moving up and down until one of them finally dominates.  On three separate occasions while watching these maneuvers, I've seen both birds hit the ground.  I'm never fast enough to capture it with my camera, but my jaw drops every time.  And I think to myself, they're practicing, preparation for survival on their wintering grounds, and they're exercising, getting stronger, becoming more skilled in flight maneuvers and quickness.  That just stirs my heart.  

And I'm always intrigued when I see shifts in the feeder dominance.  For example, when three white-throated birds settle on a  single feeder together almost at the same time, with no dispute at all.  Is this just three seriously thirsty hummingbirds, a group of timid juveniles, or maybe my resident female with her fledglings?  I did manage to capture the fledgling you see above, who perched for a long time and drank without interruption.  It made me wonder if I had been seeing the parent female among the quarreling birds, quickly intervening when others flew in.  If you look closely at the image (click to enlarge), you can see the fledgling's gape.  His mouth is slightly open.

Above, Ruby-throated hummingbird male

And then there are the times that I see two males settle on the feeder together.  Wow, I think, a couple of no-nonsense travelers with no time to quarrel.  Below you'll see a series of images of a male perched as a juvenile joins him on the feeder, another fun moment.   After watching the loud buzzing and high-speed dives of some of the males who perform these maneuvers from high oak limbs, watching a juvenile settle beside a male on the nectar feeder feels like a sweet moment even if the motivations are far from it.

Eventually, it had to end.  They always seem to depart with a burst of aggression.

New visitors to the feeders seem to come in waves.  I can tell when they are perched on limbs overhead waiting to advance by the continuous chirps from the guards, which today at times, numbered five.  In an instant, those waiting seem to descend all at once.  The more aggressive birds give chase and while they are gone, a quick glance at the feeders reveals other hummers have quietly slipped to the feeders to drink.

For more images and stories about this year's Ruby-throated hummingbirds, visit Delightful Hummingbird Fledglings, Hummer Smiles and Surprises, and Peak Hummingbird Viewing Days.  To read more about how banding hummingbirds is helping us to discover many new things about their migration, visit Hummingbird Banding.  You might also enjoy seeing my sketch of a Downy Woodpecker and a hummer at the feeder together.  They actually did drink from the feeder at the same time.

For more resources and information about hummingbirds, visit The Hummer/Bird Study Group.