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).

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Where to Get Hummingbird Plants

Here's a picture I took last year.  It shows a hummer approaching a red Salvia greggii blossom, with bog sage and Salvia "Van Houttei" in the background, and LI Sound behind.


Perhaps the best source for hummingbird plants on Long Island is a small specialist outlet called, appropriately, Long Island Hummingbird Plants.  They are conveniently located near exit 64 of the LIE, in a very nice part of Medford, at the end of a quiet cul de sac. I visited them recently, and saw that they still have an excellent selection of the best hummer-plants, including S. involucrata, S. guaranitica, Stachytarpheta mutabilis (pink porterweed), Mina lobata and cardinal vines, and Odontonema (firespike). The owner, Bill, is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and helpful. He also has feeders, and, most important, feeder cleaning tools. You will also see a lot of superb hummer-friendly plants growing well. He gets lots of visits from avian clients, mostly in august and september, proving that almost anywhere on LI you can attract these remarkable birds.
I''ll end up with another video, taken recently at the sanctuary. It shows the resident male on his favorite perch. Note the forked tail and the dark chin-gorget. He is constantly on the look-out for intruders. Near the end of the video (at 1.04) he briefly opens his beak, probably to emit a warning squeak. It's too high-frequency for me to hear, but listen careful to the soundtrack and let me know if you here something. 

No comments:

Post a Comment