Rush of the native flutter

This is your opportunity to see the hummingbird up close during capture and banding by Vernon Kleen, Master Permit Bander. New Salem hosts this Illinois Audubon Society family festival on Saturday, celebrating one of the smallest and unique birds whose ability to hover in mid-air captures the hearts of bird lovers and others alike. Enthusiasts can’t get enough of this special bird. It lives fast and dies so soon. Don’t miss the hubbub and the beauty. Volunteers will be asked to help operate the traps, record data and assist in releasing the birds throughout the event. “The early bird gets the nectar,” adds IAS Executive Director Tom Clay. “Sometimes the birds are more active earlier in the day.”