Want to Hold a Hummingbird?

Story by: Guest Contributor

First posted on 04-30-2007

Hummingbird Banding Demonstrations To Be held at Onondaga Cave State Park

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to get an up-close look at the ruby-throated hummingbird. You will have four opportunities this summer to join researcher Lanny Chambers at Onondaga Cave State Park near Leasburg as he captures and studies these fascinating little flying machines. On May 5, July 7, Aug. 4 and Sept. 1, learn about these hummingbirds as Chambers researches and bands them between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, these demonstrations will take place at the park’s visitor center and are free and open to the public.

Researcher Lanny Chambers has been working on a project to track the movement patterns of hummingbirds in Missouri. He safely captures the birds at the park’s feeders, weighs them, ages them, identifies the gender of each bird and then tags them. Visitors will learn some general life history information about the ruby-throated hummingbird, which is Missouri’s only summer resident hummer. Cameras are welcome; however, guests will be instructed to keep an adequate distance from the birds and researchers to ensure the safety of the birds.

Onondaga Cave State Park is located seven miles south of the Leasburg exit off of Interstate 44 on Highway H. For more information about these events, contact the park at (573) 245-6576 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at http://www.mostateparks.com.

Share | |