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).

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mating Dance Video!

I managed to get short video of the "U mating dance" or "pendulum dance". However, it is not quite a full dance, because at no point did he reach the full height of the U on both sides. You can only see the female, at the low point of the dance, and the low point of the bushes, at the beginning of the video (which starts about 10 seconds after the dance began). If you look carefully you can actually see the female shift position slightly, with the male adjusting the exact low point of the dance to match. As the dance progresses, he swings the line of the dance somewhat, and gets higher on the part that is closest to the camera, so the top of the dance goes out of the field. The maximum height was only about 20 feet, and in a full dance he goes higher. Note that although I could hear the rythmic buzzing of the dance quite clearly (and I am almost deaf), the camera mike could not pick it up. The yellow flowers are "Hyperion" daylilies which are in full bloom at the moment (though of course hummers never visit them). Near the end the male zooms off, but one cannot tell whether the female follows him or he gave up.



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