HARTFORD – If you love the buzz, chirp and territorial squabbles of hummingbirds, you’ll want to visit the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site on Saturday July 22nd for the annual Hummingbird Festival, co-sponsored by the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders and the Great Rivers Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society.
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The free event runs from 9 a.m. to noon.
Vernon Kleen, author and licensed bird bander, will be on site with a team of assistants and members of the Great Rivers Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society.
Kleen will give a presentation about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and then go outside to capture hummingbirds, place identification bands on them and release them back to the wild. Visitors will be able to see the tiny birds up close and perhaps touch them.
In addition, there will be a children’s activity table inside the building.
The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site marks Site No. 1 on the National Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail. It features an interpretive center explaining Illinois’ role in the expedition, as well as a reconstruction of the camp where the expedition began. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free public tours.
It is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. IHPA protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.
The site is located along Illinois Route 3 a few miles north of I-270 in Hartford, Illinois.
For more about the site and the explorers, visit www.campdubois.com.
