LIBERTY, Ill. -- The Illinois Audubon Hummingbird Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the concession area at Siloam Springs State Park.

The free festival provides an opportunity to see hummingbirds up close during capture, banding and release.

"The hummingbirds will be captured by a unique, remote control trapping mechanism, held only long enough to record basic data, then released," said Vernon Kleen, master permit bander and member of the Illinois Audubon Society's board of directors.

Banding helps determine how far into Mexico or Central America the birds go for the winter, where they stop during their travels, how long they live and whether they come back to the same sites year after year. Kleen reports that birds banded in Illinois already have been found in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas.

IAS sponsors the festival in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and will have information available on the life and habits of hummingbirds.

Participants also may "adopt" a bird by making a $5 donation to the IAS land acquisition fund earmarked to protect Illinois wildlife habitat. Donors will receive a signed certificate, be given the privilege of releasing their adopted bird and will be notified if their bird is ever recaptured.

Established in 1897, IAS is an independent nonprofit organization not affiliated with national Audubon. The mission of IAS is to promote the perpetuation and appreciation of native plants and animals and the habitats that support them.