Today was our last available day this year

The above exquisite photo was taken recently at the sanctuary by Bob Immoor. The hummingbird is feeding at Salvia greggi "Cherry Queen" (**). Notice the golden pollen at the base of the beak.

Our last "open by appointment" session of 2014 was this morning. This afternoon we had a small group of photographers from NYC. We are now closed for the season, though of course old and new friends are welcome to contact me to arrange mutually convenient times to visit, before or after the hummers all leave. Clearly many have already set out on their southward journey to the Gulf Coast and then on to Central America, and numbers have been down for several days now, although we still have at least 3 still around. Everyone has been very cooperative with our new visiting policies, with a few forgivable exceptions.  I thank all my wonderful guests whose visits I have greatly enjoyed: hummingbird enthusiasts are amongst the nicest people around, and I look forward to many more happy seasons in the years to come. I hope now to get back to filming the antics and posing of the remaining birds! Please check out this blog from time to time to see what is going on at the Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary!

NOW CLOSED! Latest Lady DI photo and videos; sanctuary closing for the season: no more slots left

Here's the latest image from Dominick Gerace of the current hummingbird nest in his back yard Manorville. Lady's Di's chick, without competition from a sibling (the second egg in the nest failed to hatch) has grown phenomenally fast, completely fills the lichen-decorated nest, and will soon be fledging. After fledging I expect the chick will remain near the nest for a few days and Lady Di will continue feeding him/her insects and nectar. These will be perilous days for the chick - let's hope there are no cats around.

Dominick has posted a new vid of Lady Di feeding her chick at his Youtube channel. You can see it here.

 Sorry, our aug 31 slot is now full. will re-open in august next year. I expect hummingbirds will still be here for another month, and old and new friends can of course sometimes visit me by private appointment at mutually convenient times.

The End is Nigh

This spectacular image is by Brad Oliphant. It shows an adult male hummingbird perching on the stem of a bog sage flower. Note the full red throat and the forked tail. Bog sage is a 1 star hummingbird plant that also gets a lot of visits from goldfinches, which love the seeds. The hummer could be Fred, the bellicose male who dominated the sanctuary throughout the summer, but it could equally be a migrating adult who arrived after Fred's departure.

Our last day for visiting will be sunday aug 31 (morning only) but we also still have good availability for the am and pm slots on saturday (see to the right of this post for details about how to request an appointment). Of course I will continue to welcome visits from friends old and new, by appointment only, and hummingbirds will be active until late september. However the sanctuary will be officially closed starting sept 1.  

East Hampton Noise Meeting

Hummer feeding at pink porterweed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis) ***, for sale at LI Hummingbird Plants. Recent photo by Walter Bednarczyk.

Got to the EH Airport noise meeting a bit late (2 hour drive from Stony Brook, room already full to capacity), submitted my name to speak, waited in the overflow annex (with good TV of the proceedings inside), then was admitted inside, and listened to the river of passionate complaints. I was impressed that the entire EH Town Board was carefully and apparently mostly sympathetically listening. At about 8.30 Supervisor Cantwell announced that they were only halfway through the speaker list, and I decided that given the long drive home (after a long working day) I could not stay until 10.30, so I left without speaking. But I will submit written remarks to the board, as I was advised is possible. Thanks to all those involved in this meeting!

Here is roughly what I planned to say:

"Good evening. My name is Paul Adams, I'm from Riverhead, and I'm a biology professor at Stony Brook University. A quarter century ago I was living in Manhattan but decided, for various reasons, to look for the quietest place I could find on Long Island. I was looking for peace, not comfort, practicality or convenience. After a 2 year search I found what I was seeking, at a a price I could (just barely) afford: a small cottage perched on a high bluff overlooking Long Island Sound, surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods and fields and only 2 other summer cottages, 1 mile from the nearest road, 10 miles from the nearest port or harbor, and 20 miles from the nearest airport. But a little over ten years ago the idyll started to fall apart: there were ever increasing numbers of large noisy helicopters and seaplanes flying low overhead or close to shore. In the last couple of years, with the adoption of the "North Shore Route" the helicopters (though not the seaplanes) have mostly moved a bit further out, but are starting to turn inland for their final descent over Mattituck, and because traffic has further increased, the volume of noise is perhaps greater than ever. I implore the Town of East Hampton to get the monster that the airport has become back under control."

Several of the speakers suggested that the existing airport should be closed down and its operation moved to the now privately owned Montauk Airport (which was recently for sale) with suitable controls. A glance at the map shows that if all flights came into Montauk over water, NOBODY would be affected by the noise. This seems to me the obvious solution.

On my evening drive through Southampton, Bridgehampton etc even at 7 pm there was still very heavy traffic creeping west (and this was wednesday!). It's clear that the Hamptons failed to respond to their own success by creating proper road and rail access, which is of course largely why there is so much air traffic (with all its pollution and misery below). On the North Fork there's never anything like this traffic. Surely the Hamptons billionaires could chip in to create rapid European-style rail access to their palaces. If it's not possible on Long Island (so much money and so many people), then it's not possible anywhere in the US. 

visiting soon over; males, old and young; Lady Di update; noise meeting

Best availability: thursday afternoon 3-5.30. We will be closing at the end of the month. We will be probably open for at least 2 slots at the weekend but details are not yet finalized. Meanwhile if you want to visit this year, try to make one of the available (posted) slots (see to the right).

Although we are now in full swing migration, and the adult males are the first to leave, we still have at least one at the sanctuary, photographed yesterday afternoon  by Bridgette Kistinger:

Bridgette also snapped a young male, with a single "drop of blood" on the throat (just one adult gorget feather poking though):

The juvenile males will develop a full set of brilliant red gorget feathers on their wintering grounds in Central America.

Lady Di's chick in Manorville continues to grow rapidly. Here's a nice view showing the chick's stubby beak poking above the top of the nest, and the brilliant green lichen that decorates the nest and blends in with the lichen on the oak twig supporting it.

Here's another view showing the chick completely filling the nest.

Thanks Dominick Gerace for these pictures.

Reminder: there's a very important meeting in East Hampton tonight (LTV Studios, 75 Industrial Rd, Wainscott at 6.30). See the Quiet Skies Facebook page for more info. Big money aviation interests are already mobilizing to intimidate the EH Town Board, many of whom were recently democratically elected to regain local control of their airport. 

Pink Porter-weed now available! Important helicopter noise meeting wed evening

The fabulous hummingbird magnet Pink Porter-weed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis ***) is now available at Long Island Hummingbird Plants. This plant is even better than "Black and Blue", my number one recommendation, and on a par with rosebud salvia (which I do not recommend solely because it's more difficult to find than B and B). Here's a recent picture taken at the sanctuary by Kerry Harrison:

It's a tropical and won't survive the winter outside, but it's a tough plant (after all, it's a weed) and will survive neglect indoors over the winter. It's very difficult to find, and you should seize this opportunity!

The sanctuary will be closed after aug 31, but we still have good availability for appointments for visiting slots  thur am and pm, and fri pm.

There will be a very important meeting about helicopter (and other aircraft) noise created by commuter traffic from Manhattan to East Hampton Airport (KHTO) on wed evening (aug 27) , starting at 6.30, at the LTV studios at 75 Industrial Road, Wainscott, E. Hampton. The East Hampton Town Board will be hearing public comments about the noise problem, anf they probably have more control over possible solutions than anyone else.

This problem affects almost everyone on Long Island to some degree. However it's particularly important for the BH Hummingbird Sanctuary: the noise from these flights stops normal conversation and makes it impossible to hear the subtle buzzing and chirping of the hummingbirds. It's gotten steadily worse over the last ten years, as the Hamptons and Manhattan have each become the exclusive domain of the rich, who can afford the astronomical cost of these polluting flights. The rational and decent solution to the traffic problems on the south fork is to improve the roads and railroad, not to inflict harassment and stress on tens of thousands of people who had sought the peace and quiet of the east end, and who do not live in or near East Hampton. But of course the US no longer invests in infrastructure or indeed its future, merely in corporate welfare and military adventures.

I know it's a long drive out to Wainscott but if you can possibly do it wed evening and speak about the noise problem, either at the sanctuary or at your own home, I would be very grateful. This might be our one chance to convince the EH Town Board to do the right thing. I chose the land on which the sanctuary sits for the extreme quiet that existed there 23 years ago, never thinking that a location so far from everything could become the target of noise bombardment by people commuting between Manhattan and KHTO, rather than via the obvious direct over-Atlantic route, but via LI Sound and the North Fork. It's difficult to beleive that something so crazy could come to pass, but it has, and this tear alone helicopter traffic (the worst but not the only offender) has increased by 60% compared to last year. If this continues I will have to leave Baiting Hollow, once an oasis of calm.

Helicopter Noise Meeting; Lady Di's Chick growing fast; flowering maple vid with attack

There will be a very important meeting about helicopter (and other aircraft) noise created by commuter traffic from Manhattan to East Hampton Airport (KHTO) on wed evening (aug 27) , starting at 6.30, at the LTV studios at 75 Industrial Road, Wainscott, E. Hampton. The East Hampton Town Board will be hearing public comments about the noise problem, anf they probably have more control over possible solutions than anyone else.

This problem affects almost everyone on Long Island to some degree. However it's particularly important for the BH Hummingbird Sanctuary: the noise from these flights stops normal conversation and makes it impossible to hear the subtle buzzing and chirping of the hummingbirds. It's gotten steadily worse over the last ten years, as the Hamptons and Manhattan have each become the exclusive domain of the rich, who can afford the astronomical cost of these polluting flights. The rational and decent solution to the traffic problems on the south fork is to improve the roads and railroad, not to inflict harassment and stress on tens of thousands of people who had sought the peace and quiet of the east end, and who do not live in or near East Hampton. But of course the US no longer invests in infrastructure or indeed its future, merely in corporate welfare and military adventures.

I know it's a long drive out to Wainscott but if you can possibly do it wed evening and speak about the noise problem, either at the sanctuary or at your own home, I would be very grateful. This might be our one chance to convince the EH Town Board to do the right thing. I chose the land on which the sanctuary sits for the extreme quiet that existed there 23 years ago, never thinking that a location so far from everything could become the target of noise bombardment by people commuting between Manhattan and KHTO, rather than via the obvious direct over-Atlantic route, but via LI Sound and the North Fork. It's difficult to beleive that something so crazy could come to pass, but it has, and this tear alone helicopter traffic (the worst but not the only offender) has increased by 60% compared to last year. If this continues I will have to leave Baiting Hollow, once an oasis of calm.

Here are a couple of new pictures of the nest in Manorville. The first shows that the baby now almost fills the nest (the remaining egg still unhatched), and the second shows Lady Di feeding it. Note that the chick's beak is short and stubby, unlike the adult's. Thanks Dominick!

Here at the sanctuary there's good availability aug 25 pm, aug 26 pm, aug 27 pm and some at other posted times

And here's a recent movie (4X slo-mo) showing a hummer feeding at a bell-like Abutilon blossom, and then, near the end, being attacked by another hummer. Even in slo mo it all happens extremely fast, but you can see how the attacker flares his tail in warning.

Autumn Sage

It's cool once again - too cool for me - and thoughts turn to the looming fall. So today I''ll focus on autumn sage, Salvia greggii **. This grows naturally in dry, rocky, soil, southwest Texas and northern Mexico, but it does surprisingly well on Long Island, especially if it has good drainage. It often comes through the winter, and I now have had a small bush for 15 years, growing in a crack in a south-facing sheltered concrete slab. Here's a recent photo, by Greg Olanoff.

Typically it's red or pink, but there are a lot of varieties around, including the pretty "Hot Lips", with a a red-lipped white flower.
Crushing a leaf unleashes a wonderful aromatic smell. Salvias generally have aromatic smells, attractive to humans but unpalatable to deer, and it's this feature that makes my hummingbird garden here in woods infested with deer possible. Here's Salvia guaranitica *** (the commonly-available selection "Black and Blue") again (see yesterday's post) in another great photo by Greg Olanoff.

To end up here's another cute photo from Greg. Note the golden pollen at the base of the bill.

Hummingbird/Salvia article in today's NY Times

Best upcoming availability: sunday aug 24 pm

There's a nice article in today's  NY Times by Anne Raver, about salvias and hummingbirds. She features my number one recommendation Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue".

The photo below is by Mia Globoschutz (16 years old) and shows "Purple Majesty", a hybrid of S. guaranitica and S. gesniflora.

visiting procedure reminder; new photos

Just a quick reminder of our visiting rules, which almost everyone is obeying (thanks!).
1. You must have a confirmed appointment with a corresponding waiver issued by me (paul.adams*stonybrook.edu).
2. Further instructions will be sent with your confirmation.
3. Request appointments only for posted "visiting slots" - see to the right of this post.

More slots will open soon but we close sept 1 (though private visits by old and new friends might still be possible).

Photo by Sheldon Pollack, aug 18. The flower is the salvia "Purple Majesty" **, which is a hybrid of S. guarantica and S. gesniflora.

Photo by Wei Tang, aug 15. Yellow trumpet vine (**)

Lady Di report

Photo from yesterday by Huzhong Cai. The flower of the trumpet creeper is quite deep and the hummers often perch on the lip and thrust their whole head in to feed.

Lady Di's chick continues to grow, and the remaining egg remains unhatched, as I expected. Photo by Dominick Gerace from yesterday.

good availability; Cuphea

Today's photo was taken 2 days ago at the sanctuary by Dan De Mato (DanielDeMatoPhotography.com). It shows a hummer feeding at Cuphea ignis "David Verity" (**), often known as cigar plant or firecracker (though many others also bear this name).

We have good upcomingavailability wed pm, thur am and pm. More slots will be posted very soon!

only 1 egg has hatched; upcoming availability

It turns out that unfortunately only one of the eggs in Lady Di's nest has hatched. This new photo shows that what looked like a beginning hole on the second egg, back on aug 13, was in fact just a piece of debris: the egg is still intact and may now fail to hatch. Possibly the recent heavy rain prevented normal hatching. Anyway the remaining hatchling is growing well, and it will be interesting to see how Lady Di deals with the unhatched egg. I think she will just ignore it.

The best upcoming availability is for tues pm, wed pm and thur (see "Visiting Slots" to right of this post).

Here's a recent sanctuary photo, by Kathy Baca, showing a juvenile male (2 dark spots on the throat).

Lady Di Feeding her brand new young; petition; updated availability

Lady Di is a female hummingbird raising a new and late brood 12 feet up an oak tree in Manorville. The first egg hatched aug 12 and the second a day later. Dominick, the photographer, had to sit 20 feet away from the nest - any closer and she would just buzz him until he left. You can see Lady Di delicately feeding her tiny hatchlings. She's giving them a regurgitated mix of insects and nectar. The chicks will now rapidly grow, and she will be kept busy catching insects. But for the moment while they are still tiny she spends a lot of time just sitting on them, keeping them cosy.

Don't forget to sign the petition to Riverhead Town to keep the sanctuary going.

Best slot availability: monday and tuesday pm

Lady Di's eggs have hatched! Availability

I'm happy to announce that Lady Di's eggs have successfully hatched, and the family and nest are doing great. Lady Di is a female hummingbird whose raising a new, late-season, brood in Manorville, 12 feet high in an oak tree. She's now feeding them. The first egg hatched yesterday (aug 12) and the second today. Here's a photo of the tiny baby and the second egg which is just beginning to hatch. Thanks to Dominick Gerace for this interesting image. More to follow tomorrow, including video. In the mean time check out my images and videos at this blog starting feb 10 this year.

Best upcoming availability is for monday pm (see to the right of this post for visiting instructions). No availability tuesday morning, new slots later next week will be posted soon.

good rain; clubs and groups

This recent picture is by Wei Tang. The flower on the right is the yellow form of trumpet creeper (or trumpet vine, Campsis radicans).

We got good rain early this morning, which should taper off in time for our morning "slot"; those with appointments for this morning should try to come, because I think hummers will be active, and I cannot guarantee appointments for later slots. But I will re-assess the situation in an hour or two - look for updates of this post. Let's hope that Lady Di and her nest in Manorville came through the rain ok.

Yesterday we had organized visits from 2 garden clubs: the Riverhead GC in the morning and the Nathan Hale (Huntington area) in the afternoon. Everyone saw plenty of hummers and enjoyed the flowers and views. If you are a member of an organized group (garden/bird/photography clubs) you can make an appointment for a visit outside of our posted "slot" times). The group leader should contact me by email (paul.adams*stonybrook.edu).

eggs in the nest; rain in the forecast

If it should rain tomorrow morning, I urge those who have appointments to brave the elements and still visit, because hummers can be quite active in the rain and we provide shelter from which to view them.

If you do not come you will have to ask for a new appointment and slots are rapidly filling up.

D was able to hoist his camera up 12 feet to photograph the interior of the beautiful nest on which a female hummingbird (I will call her Lady Di) is currently sitting in Manorville. As I predicted there are 2 tiny white eggs in the bottom; bear in mind that a dime would barely fit into the interior of this nest, about the size of the above thumbnail. Lady Di was far away when D took the picture, and she returned   to her nest shortly after, blissfully unaware of the surveillance. The nest is a little jewel, a perfect comfy bowl of spider web, lichen, down and other materials, amazingly strong, flexible and soft - and almost impossible to spot unless one carefully follows the mother.

Much needed rain is in the forecast for later today, tonight and in to tomorrow. Let's hope that her nest survives the drenching. She will probably sit tight throughout, trying to protect the nest and eggs. Some of my readers will have followed the fate of a hummingbird nest I followed and filmed earlier this year (see this blog starting february 10). The nest belonged to a Bahama Woodstar hummer called Gumbo. Woodstars and Rubythroats (the species we get in the eastern US) are very similar in size, appearance and behavior. Gumbo's nest was badly damaged by a storm but she managed to repair it and successfully raise her young, as documented on this blog. Hummers are tiny but very tough.

available slots; recent photos

Our best availability this week is as follows (see also to the right of this post):

 thur pm; fri am, pm

Other available slots will close out soon.

Photo by Alicia Brewster; hummer feeding at hyssop (Agastache)

Photo by Robert Immoor; flower is rosebud salvia, S. involucrata "Bethellii".

Current Nest

Hummingbirds arrive on Long Island late april or early may. The males arrive first, and establish territories on prime sites. The females arrive a week later, and quickly mate, build a nest and lay eggs. Incubation is 2-3 weeks and fledging another 2-3 weeks, so in theory the first brood can appear as early as mid july (which is roughly when we see our first juveniles. However the females can go on to raise 2 further broods, before leaving by the end of september. This means the adult males can stick around until late august, when mating opportunities end (even though adult females are still feeding chicks).
Yesterday an Manorville resident, Dominick Gerace, told me during his visit here that he had a female sitting on nest in his backyard, and he sent me this picture:

The nest is on a twig in an oak tree, about 15 feet off the ground. The outside is well-decorated (and camouflaged) with lichen (see more detail below). Indeed the availability of lichen is one of the main criteria for good breeding sites. Cobweb makes the nest both strong and flexible (to accomodate the growing chicks). The 2 white eggs are the size of peas, at the bottom of the nest. Hopefully I'll be able to report on the progress of this nest. In the meantime, have a look at my blog posts starting around Valentine's Day. This documents, with movies, the trials and successes of a nesting female ("Gumbo") at our winter residence in the Bahamas. It's a different species (the Bahama Woodstar, not the Ruby-Throat), but the size, appearance and behavior are extremely similar.

We still have good availability for appointments for most slots this week - see to the right, under "Visiting Slots". Visiting strictly by appointment only. Here's another image of the current nest:

Please print your name at top of waiver; hummers need protein and catch insects.

Everyone is bringing waivers, thanks, but not everyone is printing their names in the space provided near the top of the waiver form. I cannot read many of the signatures.

Hummingbirds need protein to grow and flourish. Indeed chicks in the nest eat almost exclusively insects, caught and pre-digested by the mother. That's one of the reasons that visits to flowers and feeders are quite limited during the main nesting season (late may to early august), so many people think their hummers have left. And it's a good reason (there are many others) to avoid spraying your property for ticks etc. (I think there's almost no evidence that standard sprays kill ticks).

They catch insects simply by fully opening their beaks and flying fast at the insect. Here's a picture taken in Mount Sinai recently by Johnny Cuomo, showing an adult male hummer apparently catching an insect while sitting on a twig.

And here's his male feeding at Cuphea

Too cool! Be sure of your appointment requests.

The above really cool image was snagged at the sanctuary yesterday morning by Bob Imoor. He used a 1/3200 shutter speed, which freezes the rapidly moving wing. It was taken without flash - the light on the front deck overlooking the Sound is very intense.

But the weather is too cool too! In particular the wind is from the north, and I suspect some of my hummers have taken off south on their annual migration, eventually to Central America. We saw rubythroats last year in Costa Rica at thanksgiving. When will summer (= warm weather) start?

Almost everyone is being very considerate and cooperative in sticking to our rules, making appointments, bringing waivers. Thanks, I appreciate it.  For the very very few who don't think rules apply to them, I suppose there's nothing I can say, except that your behavior makes it possible the sanctuary could close. But these folks don't even check the blog.

Plenty of available slots for appointments monday and wednesday next week, and more slots soon upcoming. But please check carefully that you will actually be able to come for your appointment before emailing your request: I'm getting a lot of cancellations, which involves unnecessary work particularly for me.

To end up with, here's a recent video.

new slots posted; weather; sending your pics

As you can see to the right of this post, I've added some new slots, and will add more in the near future, throughout august (though some days and times will not be available, such as next tuesday). Please do not request times other than the slots I announce here - I cannot keep track of requests for random days, and I cannot guarantee too far in advance that conditions will be favorable for viewing, visiting, or receiving visits. All visitors should remember to wear walking shoes (sneakers not flip-flops).

Here are a couple of recent photos from Marcy and Patti. However, they are a bit over-compressed - around 250KB is usually ideal (much larger than that takes forever to download using my slowDSL internet service).

here the hummer feeds at rosebud salvia (**) ; the tall pale blue spires are bog sage, which gets fewer visits from hummers (*).

This one shows a tiger swallowtail feeding at butterfly bush (*). Both show Long Island Sound in the background.

We are having a long stretch of nice weather, if anything a bit too cool for me. It's not perfect for hummer-viewing either, because some of ours are already moving south for the winter. The best conditions are usually south winds, which lead the hummers to accumulate here waiting for the north winds that will waft them to the tropics.

submit your pics; slot system working;

Photo, from yesterday morning,  by Mike Chachkes. Hummer feeding at rosebud salvia. If you visit, and take a nice photo, send it on to me for possible posting here at the blog. If you take a recent excellent hummer photo at your own place, please also send it together with some notes on your yard/flowers etc.

The appointment system is working well, and so far almost all requests for appointments at specific slot times have been okayed. The flow of traffic on Terry Farm Road has been low to non-existent, the rather primitive (but natural!) parking lot never even near full, and everyone very respectful, enjoyable and/or interesting!). It has been particularly delightful to see old friends and make a few new ones. But many people are requesting times that have not yet been posted as slots: you are wasting your and my time, because I cannot promise particular slots ahead of posting. The point of the slot system is that, as essentially a 1-man show,  I cannot be sure well in advance that I will be available for particular dates: all sorts of things can crop up, such as family obligations/pleasures etc. So, please wait until you see a slot time posted that suits you, then email your request, together with the expected number of cars/people in your party (1 car preferred; try to carpool where appropriate). In most cases I've been able to respond within a few hours. Of course DO NOT EVEN THINK of visiting without a confirmed appointment. Do your homework: the blog (especially the section to the right of this post) and the info I send with your confirmation.

Here's another of Mike's great pictures from yesterday.

Tongue; photos; rules

The photo, take by Bridgette Kistinger over the weekend, shows a hummingbird (female or most likely juvenile) perched on a trumpet creeper flower, shooting out his long white tongue. It's twice as long as the bill, and grooved, so the nectar, lapped up usung the tip, then flows up into the mouth.

All visitors to the sanctuary are encouraged to take photos (but no tripods please), and to send good ones on to me for possible publication, with acknowledgements, at this blog.

A quick review of some rules for visiting:

1. No visits without a confirmed appointment and signed waiver.
2. Email requests for appointments only for days/times posted as"slots" - see to the right of this post.
3. No parking outside the signed sanctuary lot.
4. Good shoes please - paths are steep, narrow and uneven.

Fred's still flashing; more open slots

As many of my readers know I call the resident adult male hummingbird at the sanctuary, Fred, in honor of other bellicose residents here. He's still here, though lying a bit lower than formerly, because of competition from other, younger, hummers. Here's a recent clip with him flashing his red gorget.

The weekend was damp and gray but there was plenty of hummer action, though only a few visitors. This morning the Syosset Garden Club visited, the weather was good, they all saw plenty of hummers, though not as many as the weekend. They were interested in the various unusual hummingbird plants we grow here, of which more in a later post. If you have a formal group that wants to visit, such as a garden club, an Audubon chapter, or a photography group, you can contact me and reserve a private time (at which photographers may bring long lenses and tripods). I'm also adding progressively more "slots" for unaffiliated hummingbird enthusiasts (see to right of this post).

Helicopter/seaplane noise; Scarlet runner bean; there's nowt so queer as folk

One of the big problems at the sanctuary are the commuter flights between Manhattan and East Hampton. Many pass right over at low altitude. Various groups are working to limit this problem, but it continues to grow (helicopter flights are up 32% this summer compared to last). Many of you are also bothered by this racket. Please all log the worst incidents at the Quiet Skies Coalition's complaint site, There's a real chance that the politicians might finally do something, if we all work together on this. Otherwise the problem will get much worse.

Reminder: you need a confirmed appointment to visit: see to the right of this post for procedure.

The damp gray weather continues, but so does the hummingbird activity, and all those that came remained dry and were treated to some spectacular chases, with hummers flying at great speed a few inches apart from each other through narrow gaps and along twisting flight paths, with the sudden burst of remarkable acceleration (up to 10G!) for which they are famous. However, quite a few people with reservations failed to show; as we say in Yorkshire, "there's nowt so qeer as folk".

This year I planted a seedling of scarlet runner bean, Phaseolus coccinea (common or string bean is P. vulgaris), which is well known as a good hummingbird plant. It's already reached 8 feet on a bamboo pole, and indeed the hummers seem to like it, as shown in the following videos. I'm looking forward to a bonus - the beans themselves! The fellow enjoying these flowers is a young male - at the beginning you can see 2 dark spots on the throat, the diagnostic "drops of blood" that are the beginning red gorget feathers. Over the winter in Central America all the jewel-like ruby throat feathers will emerge. The first video is my usual 2X slo mo, and the second, which blurrily shows the young fellow driven off by the attack of another hummer (possibly the adult male) is at 8X slo mo. The white flower in the background is summersweet, Clethra alnifolia - not a hummer plant but with an intoxicating perfume.

wet hummers, dry humans

Here are a few clips from the rainy period (which is now tapering off) this morning. All 2X slo mo.
I don't mind the rain, but I hate the cold. Roll on summer!

8.30 report from the sanctuary

I'm sitting under the front porch (really just an awning) of "Seagull Lodge", the tiny cabin perched near the top of the bluff. It's raining moderately but continuously but this year, because of some minor changes, it's quite dry there. In front of me Long Island Sound is gray and merges into the gray sky, without a clear horizon. I see quite a few hummers, unfazed by the rain, coming to the flowers, and even chasing each other as they love to do. I just saw the adult male with his fleshing red throat. I will try to get some video, but in the meantime I show below a couple of photos taken yesterday by Linda Keary. I expect only a few visitors today, and of course we are only open by appointment (see available slots to the right of this post).

The top image shows a hummingbird feeding at golden trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans "Flava"), and the bottom at rosebud salvia. Many thanks to Linda Keary for these nice pictures.

Quiet opening day; Salvia guaranitica

First, one more reminder that you MUST have an appointment (see right column of this blog) and current signed waiver to visit. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN APPOINTMENT YOU WILL BE REFUSED ENTRY AND YOUR JOURNEY WILL HAVE BEEN IN VAIN. This rule is being enforced strictly this year. In fairness to others, and to allow the sanctuary to continue, please respect this rule. Merely requesting an appointment is insufficient: you must have a confirmed appointment with a predated current waiver corresponding to your appointment slot. Currently available slots are posted to the right - more will be added soon.

It's been a typical nice quiet opening day with 3 cars this morning and 3 this afternoon. Everyone saw hummingbirds, including some nice chases - and the resident adult male is still around, though some of the juveniles are taking over part of his territory.

Here's a slo mo (8X) clip of a juvie feeding at Salvia guarantica (anise sage; ***). The most widely available version of this is "Black-and-Blue", which has black calyces at the flower base. However I prefer (though the birds don't) the regular species, with green calyces. Note the straight white band at the tip of the hummer's tail; the adult male has a forked tail and no white tip.