BASICS


BASICS: "Hummingbirds.....where is the person, I ask, who, on observing this glittering fragment of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and turn his mind with reverence..." (J. J. Audubon).
This is a blog about my summer life at the Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary, at my winter garden, Calypso, in the Bahamas, and aspects of life in general.
This private sanctuary is now permanently closed to the general public, as a result of a lawsuit brought by a neighbor. Only my friends and personal guests may visit (paul.adams%stonybrook.edu).

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine from Nemo!

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


Saturday, February 9, 2013

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!



Sunday, February 3, 2013

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).