Hummingbird Celebration is back
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs is back in swing this year with the resumption of the Hummingbird Migration and Nature Celebration after a two-year break for the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Festival days are September 10 and 11 at 285 Plains Road, Holly Springs. Gates are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
“We are very happy to see that CDC (Center for Disease Control) has relaxed most of its precautionary measures,” said Mike Muraco, director of operations, Audubon Delta.
Online ticketing is available this year to avoid long lines at the ticket tables, but on-site tickets are available as usual. Visit strawberry.audubon.org to pre-purchase tickets online or visit its Facebook page.
This year only one or two attractions are being held indoors to enhance flow through. Hand sanitizer will be available around the campus.
Strawberry Plains is an outdoor venue consisting of 300 acres of hills and bottomlands with 15 miles of nature trails. It is a place used by local people to enjoy nature without having to worry about social distancing during COVID, Muraco said.
However, the last two years most programming at the center was suspended, and group tours like school field trips were limited.
The word is getting out about the return of the festival this fall, Muraco said.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to our advertising,” he said. “In fact, we have more vendors than every before and our volunteer pool is much larger than in previous years. We are seeing many familiar faces that will fit right into some of our standard assignments.”
Tour buses are lining up for the event which typically includes many church groups and some schools.
The kids area is back en force this year because of a partnership with the Memphis Zoo, Muraco said.
“They will be on site managing our kids area and providing educational activities for children,” he said.
The native plant sale is also back this year.
“People are beginning to understand the benefits of planting in the fall,” Muraco said. “Most of our native plant deliveries have already arrived.”
Guest speakers include some old standbys this year, such as the Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, which will bring ambassador animals with three guest presenters, Kate Friedman, Debbie Crum and Stephanie Hogan.
Other presenters include:
• Cindi Routledge, Southeastern Avian Research, will conduct and lead the effort on banding and speak on hummingbirds.
• Brian “Fox” Ellis, storyteller and naturalist, will speak on John James Audubon and hummingbird folklore.
• Andi Lehman, Life with Animals storyteller and naturalist.
• Bob Tarter and Dr. Shawna Adams will bring interesting animals and stories.
• Dr. Holly Muraco speaks on the topic Monarchs in Mississippi - what is known, what is unknown.
• Robin Pigot discusses native bees and how to identify and conserve them.
Southeast will be back to capture and band birds, record their vital statistics and then release. It is one of the favorite booths to visit for children and adults who wait in line for the opportunity to feel the rapid heartbeat of the hummer, touch their soft feathers, and perchance to have one placed in the extended palm for relaunch.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their reusable water bottles which will be refilled freely at water stations. No dogs or coolers are allowed. Not all areas are accessible to wheelchairs but many are.
Reasonable ticket prices are available - $18 for ages 13- 64; $12 for 65+; $7 for 5-12; and 4 and under free. Tickets for passenger vehicles holding up to 12 are available at $12 per adult.