Here's the front porch at our southern home, Calypso, overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

And here's why we go there:

We will shortly be wending our way back to Long Island from our winter refuge in the Bahamas, on Eleuthera. But already volunteers are hard at work at the hummingbird sanctuary maintaining feeders and starting to tame the overgrown gardens. In the next few days I will be posting some recent photos of the gardens at Calypso, our Eleuthera home. Then I will start posting updates about the Hummingbird Sanctuary in Baiting Hollow, which will be opening Aug 1.
The above photo shows a patch of heliconias, with a ti plant (reddish leaves) on the left, and a coconut pal behind. The photo below shows a small part of the Rockery, with Aechmea blanchetiana (orange leaves), blue plumbago, a buccanneer palm, pink bougainvillea and oleander, and a ruellia blossom.

Happy Valentine from Nemo!

Happy Valentine everyone!  The following picture was provided by James Conforti.

Post Nemo Rufous update

I am happy to report that James Conforti, in Sound Beach, is still hosting his little rufous, unfazed by Nemo, and coming to feed every 10 minutes or so, starting at 7 am. These remarkable photos were taken today!

Unusual Hummingbird in Sound Beach!

We are of course closed, until august, but I have to break silence to report a very unusual hummingbird here on Long island, in Sound Beach. The above photo was taken recently (thanks Jim!), and shows what is almost certainly a rufous (Selasphorus rufus) - note the reddish sides. This bird arrived at thnaksgiving, and is still present - Jim has rigged a heater under a feeder to prevent it from freezing.
The next image shows the same bird feeding from a flower, and it's clearly a juvenile male.

The rufous is very similar in size to our summer resident rubythroat (Archilocus colubris), but is normally found only west of the Mississippi river. The rubythroat is a very regular migrator, and I never see them after mid-october. The rufous sometimes wanders far to the east of its normal range, and is the commonest winter hummingbird on Long Island (though still very rare). I will post more pictures soon. Thanks again to Jim, and to Johnny Cuomo (birdsofafeathercamp.com).

Still quite a few hummingbirds! Rescue!

Closed for the season.

This morning in Baiting Hollow was superb: quite a few hummers still around (despite the north wind), no helicopters or other noise, other than the slap of waves on the beach far below, crisp sunny weather, blue sea and just the right amount of puffy white clouds overhead. The flowers are now at their peak. But of course, I had to go to work.....!

We have had good (though not very good) hummer numbers over the last few days, including saturday when we were open but few came to visit. Understandably people are now thinking of other things. So now we will be closed until next august. But I will continue to report on the hummingbird situation, as long as they are around, and as long as I still have good pictures (taken by you all this year: thanks) to post.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a hummingbird inside the rear cabin, and had to rescue him. I am more used to a hummer inside the front cabin, since I leave both doors open there and they often take a short-cut through them. On average I have to rescue one there once every season: they fly in (often as part of a chase) but cannot immediately find their way out. They then try to escape through the high, light-colored ceiling. But a hummer in the rear cabin has only happened once before. So I had to get the step-ladder, and try to corner the bird using a broom. Luckily I was able to push him gently with the broom behind one of the books perched up on the high window (it's there to discourage birds from colliding with the high window), and then, using the step-ladder,  reach in and (very gently) grab him. He relaxed immediately in my hand, and I took him outside, and opened my palm. After a second he flew off unharmed, as they always do. Of course it's like holding ..... air.

The picture is by Joe Mure, and shows a hummer enjoying the sea view.

open this sat afternoon 3-5.30, probably for the last time; 3 blood-drops

OK, we will open this afternoon 3-5.30, but this will probably be our last time this season. There are some hummingbirds around, and I think the big storms will hold off till tonight. Tomorrow the strong wind will shift to the northwest and numbers will be down, and probably not recover much. There is a (rather noisy) event at the 4H camp, so please be extra careful driving on Terry Farm Rd.
The photo, by Patrice Ellert, shows a young male feeding on rosebud salvia. Note the 3 "blood drops" on his throat - the first tiny feathers of the ruby gorget that gives the species (technically Archilocus colubris) its name. He will develop a full set on his wintering grounds in Central America. The only other member of the Archilocus genus (i.e. the rubby-throat's closest relative) is the black-chinned hummingbird, Archilocus alexandri. It looks very similar, but breeds in the west.

Closed today (fri); possibly open at the weekend

We are closed today but might open for a morning or afternoon this weekend.

The photo is by Rick Mei.

closed today, thur and fri; "chirping", swallow spectacle

We are closed today (wed), tomorrow and friday. There are still some hummingbirds around and we might open at the weekend if the conditions are favorable.
Many of you (but not I) have heard the "chirping" sound that hummers use to communicate with each other (often to say "get out of my flowers"). Note that I say "sound" not "noise": someone recently asked me about the noises they make, and I replied that only humans make noise, and birds make sounds. The chirping is rather high frequency, so I cannot hear it. On this link (at the very useful website of NY Stare bird song recordings made by my Stony Brook  University colleague Tony Phillips) you can listen to the chirping (but again I can barely hear it). A much louder sound is recorded here:

http://macaulaylibrary.org/search?taxon=Trochilidae&taxon_rank_id=55&taxon_id=12022457&tab=audio-list&page=2

So I don't know what to beleive: my ears or my lying eyes.

Yesterday evening between 6 and 7 there were thousands of swallows mostly moving west (though a few were circling, or going briefly east), and all seemed to be catching insects as they flew). The were over the bluff and slightly over the Sound, both above and belwo me. They did not have forked tails so were not barn swallows, and were probably tree or cliff swallows. Over a 1 hour period I sat mesmerized by the spectacle; tens of thousands must have passed over that period.

Today's photo is by Linda Sullivan. The hummer is feeding at rosebay sage.

closed today (tues); pollen crown

We are closed today, and will not open again before the weekend (and possibly not at all). however, I will be posting more information and pictures, and possibly a few sneak open times, over the next couple of weeks. Keep reading, and keep emailing me your photos! Hummingbird numbers are well down, and perhaps the southward migration is early this year, just at the spring migration was (hummers arrived on Long Island already in march; late april is typical). However yesterday our sparse visitors all saw several birds, with several 2-hummer-chases, and one 3-hummer one.
The photo is by Mark Schaller. The hummer is feeding at Salvia guaranitica, or Anise Sage, a four star hummingbird plants, and perhaps the best for LI gardens. Notice the dab of pollen on his head.  Most flowers deposit pollen on the beak but cardinal flower (another 4-star plant) has evolved to be specifically pollinated by hummingbirds, and as the bird inserts his bill, the anther snaps down and places pollen on the top of the head. You will often see hummers at the sanctuary wth this "golden crown".
Here is a nice image, by Laura Eppig, of a hummer at cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).