The Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary: March 2019

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, March 23, 2019

Perching before feeding

When Cassie, the Bahama Woodstar mother hummingbird whose nest I'm monitoring, arrives to feed her young, she usually perches nearby before flying to the nest itself, on the look-out for potential predators. Usually she chooses a spot I cannot easily film, but today I could:-

When she took off she flew directly to the nest and started feeding the babies:

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Eggs Hatched!

I'm calling the female Bahama Woodstar hummingbird that's nesting in a casuarina tree "Cassie". Her eggs have finally hatched and she's busy feeding the tiny babies (probably 2 of them).

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Hummers in the Bahamas

Since Christmas I've been at our winter place "Calypso" on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera, and have rather neglected this blog. I see hummingbirds here every day - the local variety known as the Bahama Woodstar, which is even smaller than the ruby-throat, though rather similar in appearance and behavior. However, the male's throat is purple rather than red:

Yesterday, march 2, I spotted an active nest, about 12 feet off the ground in a casuarina tree:

The mother seems to be incubating eggs. Here are more videos, shot today march 3:

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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.