• By JUDY BERGERON
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Jul 19, 2009

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Take in a program on hummingbirds. Observe the birds up close. Buy a hummingbird-friendly plant. It’s all part of the annual Feliciana Hummingbird Celebration Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25, in St. Francisville.

The celebration begins with a 6 p.m. reception Friday at Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site, 12501 La. 10. Wine and cheese will be served as guest stroll the gardens. Bob Loudon will present a program on the hummingbirds of Ecuador at 6:45 p.m. Admission is $10.

Between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, hummingbird biologists Linda Beall and Nancy Newfield will capture and band birds at two private gardens in the area. Visitor can watch the birds up close while the birds are weighed and measured. Gardens visited will be at the homes of Carlisle Rogillio, 15736 Tunica Trace (La. 66), and Murrell Butler, 9485 Oak Hill Road. A $5 fee covers admission to both parks.

For more information, call (800) 488-6502 or go to http://www.audubonbirdfest.com.

New at the zoo
The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans has two new residents, a pair of babirusa piglets born May 15.

Myrtle and Olive were born to mom Guava and can be seen in the Asian Domain exhibit area.

Babirusa are native to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Fewer than 10,000 remain in the wild. Only 13 zoos in the U.S. have babirusa. The babirusa are listed as endangered, with the biggest factors affecting their population being illegal hunting for meat and habitat destruction.

Audubon Nature Institute helped fund workshops in Indonesia to promote conservation of this species and many others in Indonesia.

The zoo is located at 6500 Magazine St. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission is $13, adults; $8, children 2-12; $10, seniors. Call (504) 861-2537 or go to http://www.auduboninstitute.org.

Also in New Orleans
The Louisiana State Museum is presenting a traveling photo exhibit on jazz at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave.

Jam Session: America’s Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World follows the journeys of jazz greats to more than 35 countries during the 1950s-1970s.

A reception and viewing of the show is planned for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. There will complimentary wine and the event is free for Friends of the Cabildo members. For $35, non-members can attend and become a member as well.

The Arts Market of New Orleans is going to the dogs Saturday, July 25.

Dogs will be the theme of the day at the market in Palmer Park, corner of South Claiborne and South Carrollton avenues.