A blog that provides up-to-date information about the world's leading (according to Google) hummingbird sanctuary, on high bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound, Riverhead, New York. The sanctuary is private and not open to the general public. Paul's Email: paul.adams%stonybrook.edu.
We sometimes livestream from the sanctuary, at youtube.com/channel/UCvTj9WdD0zItyBLI6m-U9Og/live
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).
The late hummer at the sanctuary was last seen, only very briefly, on saturday Nov 8. I did not see him on sunday nov 9. Nov 10 - 16 we were in Maine and I have not seen him since our return. The recent deep freeze has killed almost of the remaining flowers, and I do not expect to see any more rubythroats until april 2015. However, a vagrant rufous hummingbird is always a possibility (see my posts at this blog for february 2013).
The above image is by Bob Immoor (summer 2013). The flower is Salvia uliginosa (Bog Sage).
My late hummer (or possibly another even more recent arrival) is still here! Yesterday afternoon I only had a short time before dark, the conditions were bad, and I did not see him. But this morning, though busy, I clearly spotted him in the flower bed overlooking the Sound in front of the deck at the front cabin "Seagull Lodge". He was visiting the rosebud salvias there. I'll try to get video, though I've lots of other things to do too.
After seeing our unexpected, very late, hummer several times on tuesday, I saw him only once, briefly but unmistakeably, at about noon on wed, after which I had to go to Stony Brook (work and home). I got back here about 4.15 this afternoon, but I did not observe the hummer, and there's a cold wind from the north. I'll be surprised if I see him over the weekend - he's probably safely on his way south. But it was a thrill to see him on tuesday, and to get some video (see my last post). Here's an older photo, by Jimmy Chiu. The hummer's feeding at cardinal flower, which have now largely retreated into the ground.
I just got back to the sanctuary in Baiting Hollow a few minutes ago (I'm in the process of transporting tropical plants back to Stony Brook ahead of the looming cold weather) and a few seconds ago I saw a hummingbird! I've not seen one for several weeks, and certainly did not expect to see obe again this year. But as soon as I saw the ummistakeable movement in a flower bed near the front cabin, I knew it was a hummer. He/she was feeding on the flowers of rosebud sage (Salvia involucrata), which is still in full flower. I observed him from about 25 feet away for a full minute, and then he sped off down into the western valley - very typical behavior. I took down all my feeders a couple of weeks ago, but there are still lots of flowers everywhere - some more spectacular than all season. I'll put a few feeders back up again, and hopefully he will be back - probably until the next cold front comes through, on thursday. I'll try to get video too and will report back soon. I'm here overnight, busy chopping wood to keep warm (the woodstove gobbles up fuel, especially when the wind is whistling thorugh the cracks (actually, gaps) in the cabin wall and floor.
UPDATE: here are some videos of this very late ruby throat. The first one shows him/her feeding at Salvia "Waverley" - a small white flower. It starts out badly out of focus but I focus better at the end (I'm a little out of practice!).
The second video is better - he's feeding at Rosebud sage, Salvia involucrata.
In the third video he's feeding at pineapple sage (between the 2 feeders, which I just put up). Pineapple sage is a very late bloomer, so they are well matched.
In the last video, he's approaching pineapple sage, and I have him closer up.
