Mon, May 12 2008
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Published May 04, 2008 10:11 pm - Conalee Churchwell, of Joplin, described the hummingbird she was holding Sunday morning as “cute” during an educational program about the native birds at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center in Wildcat Park. “When I held it, it was buzzing,” said Conalee, 8. Sarah Driver, a master bird bander, presented a nearly two-hour program on hummingbirds, including a demonstration of how the birds are banded. Hummingbird program featured at Birdfest By Debbie Robinson news@joplinglobe.com Conalee Churchwell, of Joplin, described the hummingbird she was holding Sunday morning as “cute” during an educational program about the native birds at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center in Wildcat Park. “When I held it, it was buzzing,” said Conalee, 8. Sarah Driver, a master bird bander, presented a nearly two-hour program on hummingbirds, including a demonstration of how the birds are banded. There are only about 60 master hummingbird banders in the country, she said. Driver said she lives south of Nixa on five acres where she has numerous hummingbird feeders and a feeder designed with a net to catch birds for banding. The mesh net can be dropped by pulling a cord once the hummingbird is at the feeder. Once the bird is caught, a tiny numbered band is fitted around its leg, she said. The numbers and information about the bird are submitted to the national Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The information is used to track the migration habits of the birds, chart their reproductive success and assess their population. Driver said one misconception people have is that the feeders should be taken down around Labor Day. “Birds will stay until the second week of October,” she said, and some have been seen in November. Another misconception about hummingbirds, she said, is the their longevity. Previous information listed the life span of the birds at three to five years, Driver said, but they can live to the age of 9 or 12. “I’ve had one return to my home for seven straight years,” she said. In Missouri, ruby-throated hummingbirds, black-chin hummingbirds and Annas hummingbirds can be found, she said. Typically, the birds are about 3 inches long and weigh about an eighth of an ounce, Driver said. 
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