Forest Preserve's Hummingbird Banding Program Goes Virtual

The Forest Preserve District of Will County's annual hummingbird banding event will be easier than ever to observe this year because it will be presented virtually.

The "Hummingbird Banding Live" program is set for noon Wednesday, August 19, and it can be viewed via the Forest Preserve’s Facebook page where it will be pinned to the top.

Even though the larger “Hummingbird Fest and Nature Celebration” has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the banding will go on, said Bob Bryerton, an interpretive naturalist for the District.

“This virtual banding program may provide an even better viewing experience than being here live as the camera should be able to get closer to the banding process,” Bryerton said.

Plum Creek Nature Center has been participating in a ruby-throated hummingbird banding program since 2015, Bryerton explained. In partnership with the Thorn Creek Audubon Society, each August a bander from the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders has come to the site
and banded the birds.

Birds are captured, weighed, measured and the information is recorded and they are assigned a band. Once the measurements are completed the birds are released.

“Hummingbirds have a perilous migration that puts much pressure on them and banding is a way for us to get information when they are recaptured on where they are going and how long they have been traveling,” Bryerton said.

“Attendees will get to view the banding process, see the birds captured, weighed, measured, banded and released, and they will have a chance to get questions answered about hummingbirds and learn a little bit more about them."

Ask your questions in the Facebook comment section below the livestream post and they will be answered in real time.

Bryerton said he is looking forward to this year’s event.

“It is always exciting to band the birds. We never know for sure how many we will be get and it is so interesting to see if they are young or adult birds and if they have been banded before. Last year we recaptured a bird that was banded in 2015, the first year we had banding at the site. It was great to know this little bird had made it to Mexico, or maybe even as far south as Costa Rica, and crossed the Gulf of Mexico four times or more.”

And if you want to learn more about hummingbirds, check out the Forest Preserve's "Five Fascinating Hummingbird Facts" video.