Warner Parks Hummingbird Celebration
Next Saturday, September the 13th, join us as we take our show on the road, literally! John will be manning our booth at the Warner Park’s Hummingbird Celebration with all of our favorite hummingbird merchandise, including feeders, nectar, accessories, and more! As the name implies, the Hummingbird Celebration is 5 hours of hummingbird themed fun located right down the road at the Warner Park Nature Center. Festivities begin at 9am, and will include hummingbird banding and viewing stations, other vendor booths, as well as food and drink. Our good friends at Harmony Wildlife will also have a booth there dedicated to what they do, so you can come and say hello to your friendly neighborhood wildlife rehabilitators! At 1PM inside the nature center, Habitat Landscapes founder Ivan Chester will be giving a presentation titled “Gardening to Attract Hummingbirds and Pollinators,” highlighting how traditional landscaping often offers little benefit to wildlife, and more beneficial alternative methods to attract hummingbirds and pollinators. Admission is free, and there is something there for people of all ages, so come on down and see us! Gates open at 9am and the festivities continue till 2pm.
Our Booth Last Year
Hummingbird Happy Hour
If you are looking for something a little more mellow, then perhaps the Warner Park’s Hummingbird Happy Hour is more your speed. Enjoy beer, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres amongst the flowers and hummingbirds of the Nature Center. While this event does require the purchase of a ticket for admittance, you can feel good about where your money is going as all proceeds from ticket sales support Warner Park’s Bird Information Research and Data (B.I.R.D) program. Tickets are $75, and I will link to the page to purchase them here. As there will be alcohol, you must be 21+ to attend. The party kicks off at 5:30 and will run till 7:30.
Common Nighthawks on the Move
This evening as I was walking the door to leave, I saw some medium sized birds flying in circles above the parking lot across the street. A look through a pair of binoculars revealed that they were, as you might have guessed from the title, Common Nighthawks! These interesting birds have one of the longest migrations of any bird here in North America, flying from as far south as Argentina as far north as the Yukon Territory in Canada. Surprisingly, one of the best places to find these members of the nightjar family is in illuminated parking lots around dawn and dusk as they swoop gracefully around light poles catching insects. They are beginning be reported congregating in numbers of upwards of 150 birds, although I only saw a modest 4-5 while closing the shop.