Male Rufous Crested Coquette - Alice Madar - Moyobamba, Peru

I am deeply honored to be taking up the position of Executive Director. To me, this feels like a particularly auspicious moment in the history of the International Hummingbird Society (IHS): We are transitioning from management by the founders – Ross and Beth Kingsley Hawkins -- to management by a sustainer who was not there at the beginning.  It shows that this idea of a society dedicated to teaching about hummingbirds and working to preserve them is a worthy, strong cause -- a cause that has a life of its own. A cause that all of you care about.  

A little about me: before moving to Sedona, I had a career in writing, editing, and corporate communications in the San Francisco Bay Area. After I settled here with my family in the land of the red rocks, I joined Sedona Charter School. As its director I found great joy in helping it grow into a vital, solid institution with a strong sense of community. I learned a lot about managing a non-profit. But the hummingbirds were always calling to me. I built a hummingbird garden in our yard, complete with two ponds, because I learned hummers love water features. I traveled to Ecuador and Peru and southeastern Arizona to see and photograph as many of them as I could. I have been to every Sedona Hummingbird Festival for the past eight years and have loved every one of them. 

And now, I am looking forward to working with all of you to help protect and expand our knowledge of these tiny, otherworldly beings. The staff, board of directors, and I are filled with ideas for how to build on what Ross and Beth Kingsley Hawkins have already accomplished -- to extend the Society’s reach and influence to do even more in pursuit of the dual mission of education and conservation. At the same time, in all our activities, I want to make sure to preserve the joy that everyone experiences at the Sedona Hummingbird Festival – and each time you see a hummingbird. 

If you have not already done so, please join us by clicking on the button below. We need your support in order to continue our mission. 

Cheers for the hummers,

Alice Madar

Executive Director

alicemadar.ihs@gmail.com

We are so excited for you to see the images in next year's calendar. These pictures are sure to inspire you to get out there and see these amazing creatures for yourself. Be sure to order yours, today! Click button below.

Thank you to all who attended and participated in the

2023 Sedona Hummingbird Festival!

We would like to thank everyone who helped make this year's

Sedona Hummingbird Festival a massive success. Thank you to all the attendees who got to celebrate the joy of hummingbirds with all of us. A big and special thank you to all of our volunteers who put their busy schedules on hold to help make our festival run so smoothly!

Our staff, presenters, exhibitors, hummingbird banders, special attractions, Northern Arizona Audubon Society, Poco Diablo Resort staff, SPAC staff, banding locations, all of the owners of homes for the garden tours, festival sponsors, corporate sponsors, lodging partners, donors, festival angels, gala angels, videographers, board members, and everyone else who had a part in our festival... thank you very much!

Hope to see you all next year!

Beth Kingsley Hawkins and Russ Fox anchoring a wish with

Happy the Hummingbird Spirit.

Whitney Morejon making sure questions were answered at the Information Table.

Madam Eileen's Balloon Creations was a major hit and brought smiles to everyone's' face! She made fun hummingbird shaped balloons that were drinking from colorful flowers.

The International Raptor and Falconry Center is always a returning favorite! Attendees were able to get up close and hold these astounding birds of prey!

Our Hummingbird Society Booth was packed full of various treasures. Our new calendar was out on display and a plethora of books on all things hummingbird.

This year we opted for bedazzled hummingbird shirts that were sure to dazzle in the summer sun.

Very happy attendees who purchased the incredible Marvelous Spatuletail painting that the gifted painter, Gamini Ratnavira, painted live on stage for his presentation.

HummViewer was a hit at the Sedona Hummingbird Festival! Many attendees went outside to the hummingbird feeders at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, they wanted to take this innovative mask out and see the hummingbirds for themselves. Look, a hummer came by for a quick drink!

Jennifer Knotts - NatureTies - Showing off her beautiful work.

No window is complete without a dazzling suncatcher from

Kate McKeough's Sundreamchtchers.

Claudia Cook - Red Hills Gallery - Never disappoints as her creative metalwork is perfect for decorating any home or yard! Claudia is always fun to talk to.

Some of the nicest people you could ever meet are Steve and Karen Barnes with K&S Hummingbird Creations LLC. Their hummingbird artwork comes in an array of mesmerizing colors.

Chuck Watkins has a whimsical take on hummingbirds and other wildlife.

You'd be sure to find an array of hummingbird treasures at

El Jardin del Colibri's booth.

Take your hummingbird feeding up a notch with Sweet B&B Feeders. These unique feeders are a great addition to any yard.

Presenters

Gamini Ratnavira painting live on stage the gorgeous Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird.

Master Bander - Kate McLaughlin - Gave a phenomenal talk on the Rufous hummingbird in regards to her Alaska Hummingbird Banding Project.

If you missed the presentations, or loved them so much you have to see them again and again, please consider joining the International Hummingbird Society. Members can view the presentations online.

Hummingbird Banding

Hummingbird banding is the highlight of the Sedona Hummingbird Festival. Hummingbirds are quickly processed, banded, and released unharmed. If you attend the banding at the festival, you may be so lucky as to release one back into the wild!

Male Anna's hummingbird taking flight so he can get on with his day at the feeders.

Many colors can be seen the the gorget of this male Anna's hummingbird.

Garden Tours

Garden Tours are always a winner at the festival. Take time to relax, enjoy hummingbirds, and the beautiful Sedona scenery.

There's more than just hummingbirds out there. Early morning birding trips are hosted by the Northern Arizona Audubon Society. They are a great way to check birds off of your list. This picture was taken at the Stupa, Vortex, and Meditation tour.

You may have heard of white hummingbirds, but have you ever seen a pied hummingbird? This pied female Black-chinned Hummingbird visited a Sedona residence just before this year's Sedona Hummingbird Festival! Thank you Kelly Isley for sharing this amazing photo.

Pied birds are partially leucistic. According to Cornell Labs All About Birds website, leucism is not a genetic mutation, but rather describes defects in pigment cells that are caused during development. An animal with full leucism will appear paler than normal, as in a white hummingbird. Leucistic animals that show irregular patches of white are partially leucistic, also referred to as “pied” or “piebald.” Because the development of the eyes occurs separately from other areas of the body, eye color in leucistic animals is not affected and will be normal in color.

Team Colibri worked tirelessly to make sure that you had an exceptional time at the Sedona Hummingbird Festival. We appreciate each and every one of those who volunteered, attended, and were a part of the festival in any other capacity. We appreciate your support of The International Hummingbird Society and its mission to educate others on hummingbirds and work through conservation efforts to protect them.

Next year festival dates are

 July 26th-28th. See you there!