Hummingbird Festival September 17-20, 2009

Have you ever seen hummingbirds before? Would you like to see some? Hummingbirds are small birds with magnificent colors and a long bill. They are pleasing to the eye because of their beauty. Hummingbirds can be found in North and South America. The 16 species that breed in North America are:

Allen抯 Hummingbird
Anna抯 Hummingbird
Berylline Hummingbird
Black-Chinned Hummingbird
Blue Throated Hummingbird
Broad-Billed Hummingbird
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
Buff-Bellied Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Costa抯 Hummingbird
Lucifer Hummingbird
Magnificant Hummingbird
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Violet-Crowned Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird

Hummingbirds eat nectar and small insects found near the nectar. They eat every 15 to 20 minutes and may visit around 1,000 flowers per day.

They migrate to the Gulf of Mexico. During the migration they stop in the towns of Rockport and Fulton located on the Texas Gulf Coast to rest and feed a little bit more before finishing their journey. Rockport is located on the Central Flyway, a bird highway which brings migrators from Canada, through Montana, and over the Central states on their way to Mexico.

These two towns became tourist sites for birdwatchers and are now known as the towns that have the most hummingbirds. Because there are so many hummingbirds in Rockport and Fulton, the city of Rockport decided to offer workshops and classes to local homes and businesses teaching them how to plant and how to maintain their yards year round in order to attract humming birds. The local residents and businesses learned to plant flowers such as Rumpet Vine, Honeysuckle, Salvia, Impatiens, Coral bean and how to make nectar to attract hummingbirds.

Rockport decided to create the hummingbird festival that is held every September to celebrate the fall migration of the hummingbird. This year the festival will be held on September 17-20, 2009. The hummingbirds you will see there are the ruby-throated, rufous, broad-tailed, black-chinned, and buff-bellied. During the Festival people are able to walk around the town and see as many as 100 to 200 birds feeding without being too scared of any human presence. Some yards will have a combination of plants and bird feeders to satisfy these hungry creatures.

Rockport抯 hummingbird hot spot is the Goose Island State Park, located on the North end of the Copano Bay State Causeway.