The Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary: yesterday at the sanctuary

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).

Monday, May 26, 2014

yesterday at the sanctuary

Mostly just hard work, but during short breaks I did see quite a bit of activity, with both males and females making brief visits to various feeders. Then, in the evening, while eating supper on the back deck, I saw a male ("The" male?) first visit a feeder just in front of me, then come and perch for 30 seconds on a twig on the back deck no more than 10 feet away. He looked rather handsome. Then, he went quickly in succession to 3 more feeders around the back deck. he was clearly checking that they had good nectar, and should be included in his patrols of his territory. I've added some feeders along the Woodland Walk, and I'll watch to see if he has also added those to his patrol. A few minutes later he re-appeared and launched a mating dance almost over my head. Not super-high (15 feet?) and onlyabout a half dozen swings. The recipient of his attentions appeared to be in a Viburnum carlesii bush just in front of the deck, but she was obsured from my view by leaves.
I suspect I'm seeing the settling in of resident hummers, and that activity will dwindle as the females start nesting.

As I wrote before my camera has packed in ("System Error Zoom"), so I'm posting a couple of videos from 2 days ago. The first shows a hummer briefly hovering over a clump of native columbine (Aquilegia condenses), the main hummer-flower at this time of year (though the coral honeysuckle blossoms are opening up too).

The second video shows some flowering iris (not a hummer-plant) and columbine

2 comments:

firewalker57May 26, 2014 at 6:03 PM
I saw my first hummer of the season I believe she is a female as she had white tips on her tail feathers .. am very excited she seemed to be checking it all out she did not feed while I was watching it is very possible that she did while I was out and about. .. This sighting was in the front of my house I am going to also hang feeders in the back as the front is a little busy at times .. I was so happy to see her !!! :)
ReplyDelete
Replies
Paul AdamsMay 26, 2014 at 9:10 PM
Congratulations! Definitely an adult female. Take care of her! What flowers do you have in bloom at the moment?
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

FAQs

1. How can I visit? Unless you are an invited friend or personal guest of the owner, Paul Adams, you cannot. The sanctuary is now permanently closed to the general public.

2.Why did the sanctuary close? The sanctuary opened, on a very limited basis, during 1998-2017. However, a neighbor, Kamal Bherwani, and 2 former neighbors, Fred Terry and Shawn Hamilton, brought a $3 million lawsuit, and forced complete and permanent closing. The plaintiffs claimed, incorrectly, that the sanctuary was a "commercial business". Though no evidence for this claim was, or could be, produced, the owner decided to settle the lawsuit and permanently close.

3. When do the hummingbirds arrive and leave, and where do they go for the winter?

They arrive on Long Island late april, and early may. They leave between aug 1 and oct 1. The adult males arrive and leave first, then the adult females, then the young, in order of fledging. They all go to central America via the Gulf of Mexico.

3. What varieties do we have at the sanctuary?

Only the ruby-throat (only the adult male has the ruby throat). This is the only one that breeds east of the Mississipi. The US has about 9 other species but they are all western.

4. Why are there rocks in the trees? How long have you had this place?

I have had the property for 27 years and each year I put a new rock to mark the beginning of a new hummingbird season (may 1).

5. What is the best place to sit to see hummingbirds?

On your bottom! Since you may have to wait a bit choose the spot that best suits you.

6. How can I attract hummers to my yard?

Plant cardinal flower (right variety!) and black-and-blue salvia, maintain a couple of small clean feeders, both placed where you spend a lot of time outdoors (or in front of a picture window). Read this blog or lihummer.org for further suggestions.