The Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary: May 2018

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).

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Fred guards the honeysuckle

Once again yesterday evening just after sunset Fred turned his attention to the massively blooming coral honeysuckle climbing up the northeast corner of "Seagull Lodge" (the cabin that is perched at the edge of the bluff above Long island sound) - where I also tend to end the day. In the first video he is perching on a twig just under a bunch of flowers, watching for intruders.

In the second video he gets to work.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Coral Honeysuckle

Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is in full bloom at the sanctuary and getting evening visits from our resident male hummer Fred. The next video shows the full extent of this vine, from top to bottom (no hummer though).

Monday, May 28, 2018

Back at the Sanctuary

We returned to the US - Fort Lauderdale - on may 10 and then drove up the east coast, spending a few days with our son Jamie (number one birder in NC, check out his blog), and visiting gardens and historic houses en route. We got back on Long Island may 17, after inching our way through NYC and western LI in the only heavy traffic the entire trip, and I came out to the sanctuary may 18. Within a few hours I had feeders up and a male hummingbird checking them out, and I've been seeing hummers every day since - probably Fred the resident male, plus brief visits from a another male and at least one female. Frustratingly however my main video camera (a SONY FDR-AX53) developed a fault just before leaving the Bahamas and is still in for repair. I fished out my previous camera ( a Canon Vixia, actually quite a good camera) but it took me several days to find the charger. Then the weather was bad, so it's only today I could try some filming. Here are a couple of attempts - both show males, probably Fred. The second clip initially shows him perched just above a feeder, which he then briefly visits. I've seen him chasing another hummer out of his territory, and also a brief "mating dance". He's spending quite a bit of time on the same perch as last year - the tippy-top of a dead pine, but the closest I can get the camera to this spot is 100 feet away!

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FAQs

1. How can I visit? Unless you are an invited friend or personal guest of the owner, Paul Adams, you cannot. The sanctuary is now permanently closed to the general public.

2.Why did the sanctuary close? The sanctuary opened, on a very limited basis, during 1998-2017. However, a neighbor, Kamal Bherwani, and 2 former neighbors, Fred Terry and Shawn Hamilton, brought a $3 million lawsuit, and forced complete and permanent closing. The plaintiffs claimed, incorrectly, that the sanctuary was a "commercial business". Though no evidence for this claim was, or could be, produced, the owner decided to settle the lawsuit and permanently close.

3. When do the hummingbirds arrive and leave, and where do they go for the winter?

They arrive on Long Island late april, and early may. They leave between aug 1 and oct 1. The adult males arrive and leave first, then the adult females, then the young, in order of fledging. They all go to central America via the Gulf of Mexico.

3. What varieties do we have at the sanctuary?

Only the ruby-throat (only the adult male has the ruby throat). This is the only one that breeds east of the Mississipi. The US has about 9 other species but they are all western.

4. Why are there rocks in the trees? How long have you had this place?

I have had the property for 27 years and each year I put a new rock to mark the beginning of a new hummingbird season (may 1).

5. What is the best place to sit to see hummingbirds?

On your bottom! Since you may have to wait a bit choose the spot that best suits you.

6. How can I attract hummers to my yard?

Plant cardinal flower (right variety!) and black-and-blue salvia, maintain a couple of small clean feeders, both placed where you spend a lot of time outdoors (or in front of a picture window). Read this blog or lihummer.org for further suggestions.