HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – This year’s Hummingbird Festival at Jeffers Bend Environmental Center brought out around 200 community members, giving them the opportunity to learn about these adorable, tiny pollinators. On Aug. 23 starting bright and early at 9 a.m., volunteers with Jeffers Bend and Christian County Master Gardeners were carefully monitoring specially designed hummingbird cages set up in the pollinator garden, waiting for these evasive birds to stop by for a sip of nectar.
When caught, the hummingbirds were gently placed in mesh bags and given a quick examination before being banded with a unique number that will identify them for the rest of their lives. Just like last year, Master Gardener Susan Childs handled each bird with care, explaining that the next time the bird is caught, she will be contacted using in the information on each band they place on their legs. This allows them to track the migratory patterns on the birds, which are likely to next travel to Alabama or Louisiana.
Weighing around three grams each, these small birds are similar in weight to a single nickel. Individuals present had the opportunity to feel the racing heartbeat of these birds during the exam, with one lucky person chosen each time to release them back into the sky…