Article and Photos by Shirin McArthur, unless otherwise noted.
Birders, researchers and curious kids traveled from at least as far as El Paso for the Hummingbird Festival being held this weekend at Little Toad Creek Inn & Tavern near Lake Roberts. Hummingbird banding drew a lot of interest from folks who drove in for the day and those staying at the Inn.
Observers peppered two teams of researchers with questions as they weighed, banded, measured and fed a variety of tiny hummingbirds, most of which were weighing in at only around 3 grams each. Different hummingbirds species were being banded, including Black-chinned, Rufous, and Calliope.
Ariel Gaffney, who begins a master's degree at the Universityof New Mexico this fall, was assisting with the banding process. She is excited to be participating in a research project here in New Mexico, which will study dominance patterns in an area where the Broad-tailed hummingbirds, which summer at a higher altitude, overlap with the Black-chinned hummingbirds. The study will involve swabbing the beaks of the hummingbirds in order to determine the types of flowers they have visited.
The Hummingbird Festival continues from sunup through 3 pm on Sunday, July 20. Little Toad Creek Inn & Tavern lies at the junction of Highways 35 and 15.
Hummingbird Festival 071914 2014 Hummingbird Festival Observing the researchers at work 2014 Hummingbird Festival Bill Talbot teaches about hummingbirds 2014 Hummingbird Festival Donna Joyner receives a Calliope hummingbird to release 2014 Hummingbird Festival Donna Joyner of El Paso releases a Calliope hummingbird 2014 Hummingbird Festival Donna Joyner of El Paso releases a Calliope hummingbird 2014 Hummingbird Festival Hummingbirds are placed in a stocking to calm them as they are being weighed and measured 2014 Hummingbird Festival Bill Talbot measures hummingbird wing length 2014 Hummingbird Festival Observing the researchers at work 2014 Hummingbird Festival Bill Talbot teaches about hummingbirds 2014 Hummingbird Festival Bill Talbot uses a puff of air against the birdG??s chest feathers to check its level of fat, which was usually zero. 2014 Hummingbird Festival All hummingbirds were fed before being released 2014 Hummingbird Festival Handing over a hummingbird to release 2014 Hummingbird Festival Judy Lochrie releases a hummingbird 2014 Hummingbird Festival Ariel Gaffney studies the grooves in a juvenile hummingbirdG??s beak, which show that the beak is still growing 2014 Hummingbird Festival All hummingbirds got a drink before being released 2014 Hummingbird Festival Kataleya Lopez, 18 months, listens to Raymond VanBuskirk talk about hummingbirds from the safety of her mother NinaG??s arms 2014 Hummingbird Festival Raymond VanBuskirk teaches about hummingbirds(Photo by Henry Hoffman)
