Foot in Mouth

Here's a close-up video of a hummer (Bahama Woodstar at Calypso) preening, and using his foot to try to remove the pollen from his bill.

Drone at Calypso

My stepson Noah is visiting Calypso and brought with him (together with the appropriate permit!) his Phantom 2 Drone with GoPro camera. Here's an example of the results - still rather wobbly, because no gimbal.

The drone first flies down our driveway and then turns left onto the sandy track that goes through our property. It then swings back to show our house "SeaStar" and slowly starts to climb to reveal Calypso Pond behind the house, and the sun setting in the west. It then turns clockwise to show the ocean and, as it swings to the east, our little cottage "Morningstar" and, well beyond,  a cluster of neighboring houses beyond the eastern edge of our property.  Continuing to turn clockwise, it shows Seastar again. Noah is just getting the hang of droning but it shows the general layout.

Bahama Woodstar Adult Male Close-Up

Filmed march 8.
Yesterday I also saw a female hummingbird poking at Thumbelina's old nest remnants - she appeared to be taking fragments of the old nest, presumably to incorporate into a new nest somewhere. I will hunt for it.

The last I heard of the 2 Aquebogue rufouses was on feb 22, when they were doing very well - in part thanks to the live fruit-flies the homeowner is releasing in her yard, to provide protein snacks. And ruby-throats are already on the gulf coast (see http://hummingbirds.net/map.html). They will be back on Long Island in less than 2 months - you should get your feeders out by tax day.
Sorry I've not been posting recently - we have been happily busy with a succession of visitors. But I will now try to post more regularly.