Holly Springs, MS — Beginning September 9–11, Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs, MS, will host its 17th annual Hummingbird Migration & Nature Celebration where thousands of guests enjoy the natural beauty of North Mississippi’s most spectacular nature preserve. This award winning festival features hundreds of hummingbirds feeding in lush native gardens; as well as, renowned speakers on various nature topics, live animal shows, guided walks/wagon rides and a close-up look at the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, one of nature’s most fascinating creatures.
Strawberry Plains is the perfect site for these tiny birds to stop and refuel before the grueling non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. The historic antebellum plantation with an abundance of native plants and feeders provides insects and nectar, helping hummingbirds gain the required weight for their 22-hour Gulf crossing. The beautiful Davis House with its abundant gardens full of birds makes this nature celebration a spectacular experience.
Traveling up to 2,500 miles each fall, hummingbirds delight us in our backyards and more importantly, have become ambassadors for the needs of other wildlife species. “Once a person decides to protect and conserve hummingbirds, they start protecting and conserving other species, from insects to native plants,” said Mitch Robinson, Conservation Education Manager. “This festival is a celebration of all things wild, a wonderful way to spend a day in a truly historic place.”
Visitors can see hummingbirds from inside the beautiful Davis House, as they flit through the gardens of Strawberry Plains. But nothing beats seeing these birds up close. Cynthia Routledge and her team from Southeastern Avian Research (SEAR) dazzle attendees with an unparalleled view as they put tiny leg bands on the birds in order to better track their travels. If you think hummingbirds are small, you should see the delicate band that goes around their leg! The tiny numbered bands enable scientists to determine how far south the birds go for winter, where they stop during their travels, and whether they return to the same sites year after year.