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).

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Report from Baiting Hollow.


Columbine flowering in Baiting Hollow may 22 2014. I remember seeing hummers visiting this clump when we first returned last year.

I was released from the hospital friday evening, and will complete the 7-day course of antibiotics orally. Claire and I went out to the Sanctuary in Baiting Hollow this morning, in absolutely stunning weather. All looks well out there. I hung up several feeders, Claire cut a bunch of daffodils to bring home - I had not seen the daffodils in many years. There was very little sign of life in the flower beds, though the wild columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) are emerging from the ground. Wild columbine is an important source of nectar for arriving hummers. I see that the winter must have been very severe - no sign of life from the stubs of my large Salvia greggii plant that has survived many winters in the past. But I was too tired to investigate much.
I sat for 5 minutes viewing the opulent Sound, with Connecticut happily shrouded from view. Looks like the red maples are beginning to flower, which will be good for the hummers.
But I am exhausted by my illness - I've never felt so pathetically weak in my whole life, and I did not take any photographs. I almost look like an Auschwitz survivor, having lost 14 pounds from an already skinny frame. Hopefully each day will bring a slight improvement, and I'm enjoying seeing the flowers of the early Long Island spring, especially the magnolias.

3 comments:

  1. Hoping you feel better soon, wishing you a speedy recovery.

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  2. Thanks Bridgette, I think I'm starting to recover, even though extremely slowly. Will go out to the sanctuary in a day or 2 and see if the feeders I managed to hang up are attracting any customers.

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