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).
recent sanctuary photo by Sung Kim. No more visiting slots this week but 3 days will soon be posted for next week. Under the terms of the lawsuit settlement with a neighbor, we can only open 3 days per week and one half day at weekends, and must close permanently after sept 15.
flying burns a lot of energy and means they have to feed a lot, which in turn makes hummers very eager to defend their patch of flowers, even if it entails flying a lot. To save energy, they will perch whenever possible, and will try to do so when feeding if there's a convenient flower stalk.
Available visiting slots next week (am= 10-12.30, pm=3-5): mon july 31 am, tues aug 1 am, pm; wed aug 2 pm, thur aug 3 pm only : email paul.adams%stonybrook.edu with your request.
Sanctuary visiting procedure: pick a specific ANNOUNCED date/time, email Paul, he will send Directions/Instructions and Waiver, which you must read. If you are ok with these, email him again and he will send the necessary confirmation. It's a hassle for all but keeps things smooth. The sanctuary will be open to visitors july 26 (am,pm), 27 (am,pm) and 28 (am) (by appointment only: email paul.adams&stonybrook.edu); am = 10-12.30 and pm = 3-5. We will be open a half-day at the weekend (TBA), and three days every week until sept 15 (TBA). Please try to request an appointment at least 12 hours ahead, so there's time to do the necessary steps. 2 phone-photos from Susan Boyce, who visited tuesday afternoon. There's a young male, Fred Junior who I call Fredino, whose sparring with Fred (his putative dad). Here's video from wednesday afternoon:
Looks like rain saturday so we will open, by appointment, sunday morning (July 30 10-12.30)
Sanctuary visiting procedure: pick a specific ANNOUNCED date/time, email Paul, he will send Directions/Instructions and Waiver, which you must read. If you are ok with these, email him again and he will send the necessary confirmation. It's a hassle for all but keeps things smooth. The sanctuary will be open to visitors july 26 (am,pm), 27 (am,pm) and 28 (am) (by appointment only: email paul.adams&stonybrook.edu); am = 10-12.30 and pm = 3-5. We will be open a half-day at the weekend (TBA), and three days every week until sept 15 (TBA).Please try to request an appointment at least 12 hours ahead, so there's time to do the necessary steps. 2 phone-photos from Susan Boyce, who visited tuesday afternoon.
We will be open to visitors (by appointment only: email paul.adams&stonybrook.edu) july 25 (pm only) , 26 (am,pm), 27 (am,pm) and 28 (am only) ; am = 10-12.30 and pm = 3-5. We will be open a half-day at the weekend (TBA), and three days every week until sept 15 (TBA). PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST DATES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN POSTED AT THIS BLOG AS AVAILABLE - I DO NOT KEEP TRACK OF RANDOM REQUESTS
We are starting to see more activity, just in time for the first visitors, with juveniles giving Fred a lot of work, and sometimes escaping his vigilance. Here's a video from yesterday (saturday) showing a juvie feeding at various types of salvia (all currently available at lihummingbirdplants.com)
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We are open sunday morning 10-12.30 july 23 - shoot me an email to reserve. Dates for next week will be announced shortly.
while I was waiting for the first visitors of the 2017 season (no-shows) I filmed Fred feeding at cardinal flower:
Cardinal flower is a Long Island native perennial that grows along river banks such as the Peconic and the Nissequogue. It's mainly pollinated by hummingbirds. When the bird feeds, the anther (the tiny stalk projecting above the 2 red petals) snaps down and dabs a patch of pollen onto the forehead. The purple flower is porterweed - a hummingbird magnet, available ONLY at lihummingbirdplants.com.
I'm seeing a couple of young hummingbirds appearing, though Fred chases them away, and I hope there will soon be more.
Visiting slots are available july 21 10-12.30 and 3-5 (but pm only a couple) and sunday july 23 10-12.30. Please email me if you (and others in the same car) would like to visit then, though it's still rather slow. Dates for next week will be posted soon.
Visiting slots are available july 20 3-5, july 21 10-12.30 and 3-5 (but only a couple) and sunday july 23 10-12.30. Please email me if you (and others in the same car) would like to visit then, though it's still rather slow. Dates for next week will be posted soon.
First visits of this season (by confirmed appointment only) at the sanctuary on the afternoon of thursday july 20 (3-5 only), and friday july 21 10-12.30 or 3-5. Many more dates on subsequent days will be announced here on a rolling basis, based on weather etc. However, under the terms of the lawsuit settlement, only 3 days a week and one half weekend day will be available. The sanctuary will permanently close to the public after sept 15.
So far hummingbird activity at the sanctuary is low, and it's probably best to wait until next week or later. But to make an appointment for one of the above 3 slots please email me (paul.adams#stonybrook.edu) the announced date/time would like to visit. Please do not request an appointment for any other time, wait until your preferred time is posted at this blog. I will then send you instructions for visiting, which you should review carefully, letting me know that you agree to the rules, and then I will confirm your appointment. It's a bit of a hassle but I want to ensure that our last opening season is orderly and successful.
Fred welcomes visitors (by confirmed appointment only) at the sanctuary on the afternoon of thursday july 20 (3-5 only), and friday july 21 10-12.30 or 3-5. Many more dates on subsequent days will be announced here on a rolling basis, based on weather etc. However, under the terms of the lawsuit settlement, only 3 days a week and one half weekend day will be available. The sanctuary will permanently close to the public after sept 15.
So far hummingbird activity at the sanctuary is low, and it's probably best to wait until next week or later. But to make an appointment for one of the above 3 slots please email me (paul.adams#stonybrook.edu) the announced date/time would like to visit. Please do not request an appointment for any other time, wait until your preferred time is posted at this blog. I will then send you instructions for visiting, which you should review carefully, letting me know that you agree to the rules, and then I will confirm your appointment. It's a bit of a hassle but I want to ensure that our last opening season is orderly and successful.
Fred welcomes visitors (by confirmed appointment only) at the sanctuary on the afternoon of thursday july 20 (3-5 only), and friday july 21 10-12.30 or 3-5. Many more dates on subsequent days will be announced here on a rolling basis, based on weather etc. However, under the terms of the lawsuit settlement, only 3 days a week and one half weekend day will be available. The sanctuary will permanently close to the public after sept 15.
So far hummingbird activity at the sanctuary is low, and it's probably best to wait until next week or later. But to make an appointment for one of the above 3 slots please email me (paul.adams#stonybrook.edu) the announced date/time would like to visit. Please do not request an appointment for any other time, wait until your preferred time is posted at this blog. I will then send you instructions for visiting, which you should review carefully, letting me know that you agree to the rules, and then I will confirm your appointment. It's a bit of a hassle but I want to ensure that our last opening season is orderly and successful.
A couple of announcements. First, the Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary will be open on certain specific dates (to be determined) falling in the period july 20 - sept 15. Under the terms of the lawsuit settlement, this will be the last year in which the sanctuary will be open to the general public. Even this year we will only be open 3 1/2 days a week during that period, the half-day being on the weekend. The exact dates will be decided on the basis of weather etc, and announced a few days ahead on a rolling basis at bhhummer.blogspot.com - NOT at this FB page. Please wait until you see the date you would like to visit posted at the blog, and then email your request to Paul Adams at stonybrook.edu. Paul will then respond with further information and once you have acknowledged reading that information, he will then confirm your appointment. No visiting without a confirmed appointment - it could land Paul back in court, or worse. Requests to visit will be ignored unless they are for an already posted slot (though of course Paul's personal friends can request to visit at any time). come and see Fred and his friends and enemies!
The second announcement concerns the future of the sanctuary. The lawsuit settlement allows Paul to deed his property to an existing environmental organization, for use as a hummingbird sanctuary open to the public or otherwise. He is currently discussing this possibility with the Seatuck Environmental Association, an outstanding group focussed on wildlife preservation and public environmental education. Whether these discussions will actually lead to the preservation of the existing sanctuary, in part or in total, is unclear. However, those who would like to see the sanctuary continue in some (perhaps better) form could consider making a donation to Seatuck (athttps://www.seatuck.org/index.php/support/donate-now). If you do choose to donate, please consider making your donation to Seatuck in honor of the Hummingbird (first name) Sanctuary (second name). Even if these discussions do not lead to the preservation of the sanctuary, you would be supporting a vibrant, Long-Island-based environmental organization, and your donation increases the likelihood of a successful outcome. More to follow!
The man that lives next door is Kamal Bherwani, who I first met in the office of his lawyer, as part of his lawsuit against the hummingbird sanctuary. Unfortunately the suit never came to trial, since after 3 years of battle I no longer had the resources (financial and mental) to continue, and was forced to settle. Under the terms of the settlement I have to close the sanctuary to the public after this season (which runs july 20 - sept 15), though of course my private guests may continue to visit. I will soon be posting at this blog the exact dates and times for visiting. When you see an available slot time that suits you, please email me with your request.
I added a small bowl feeder (Aspects "HummBlossom", available at lihummingbirdplants.com) to the dead branch, hanging over the back deck, where Fred often perches, and he seems to like it. Much of the time he is on the tip of the dead pine tree that allows him a sweeping view of the western valley, where I cannot get close enough to film him well.
But he sometimes leaves this spot, either to patrol the rest of his territory, or else to visit his perch over the deck, from which he will often briefly visit this little bowl feeder, which allows him to stand while feeding. Here's the perch just above the feeder. At then end of the clip he dives down to the minibowl feeder. I over-exposed the video so although he's in silhouette against the sky you can see a lot of detail. So far this summer I'm only rarely seeing other hummers - Fred is keeping them out.
