Kennesaw’s Smith-Gilbert Gardens will hold its annual Hummingbird Banding event virtually on Thursday, September 10 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., hosted by “Hummingbird Whisperer” Julia Elliott of Bird Watcher Supply Company.

Elliott received her federal Master Permit to band hummingbirds in 2010. She is one of only about 150 persons from across the United States and Canada authorized to band these tiny birds. The process of banding, recapture and recovery provides valuable information about bird history, especially migratory details and the relative abundance of a given bird species from year to year. When a bird is banded, the bander collects important data about the bird’s age, sex, condition and plumage characteristics. All the information is recorded, and the birds can be tracked across the United States, if they are captured again.

This virtual event will be broadcast live to the Smith-Gilbert Garden’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sggardens.

Smith-Gilbert Gardens is currently open to the public, with social distancing restrictions, Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets must be reserved and purchased online prior to visiting for both members and non-members at www.smithgilbertgardens.com. Smith-Gilbert Gardens is continually working to ensure the safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff, and operations may change as the situation evolves. Guests are encouraged to check the website before each visit.

This event is sponsored by Bird Watcher Supply Company.