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).

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Very Late Hummer in Baiting Hollow!

I just got back to the sanctuary in Baiting Hollow a few minutes ago (I'm in the process of transporting tropical plants back to Stony Brook ahead of the looming cold weather) and a few seconds ago I saw a hummingbird! I've not seen one for several weeks, and certainly did not expect to see obe again this year. But as soon as I saw the ummistakeable movement in a flower bed near the front cabin, I knew it was a hummer. He/she was feeding on the flowers of rosebud sage (Salvia involucrata), which is still in full flower. I observed him from about 25 feet away for a full minute, and then he sped off down into the western valley - very typical behavior. I took down all my feeders a couple of weeks ago, but there are still lots of flowers everywhere - some more spectacular than all season. I'll put a few feeders back up again, and hopefully he will be back - probably until the next cold front comes through, on thursday. I'll try to get video too and will report back soon. I'm here overnight, busy chopping wood to keep warm (the woodstove gobbles up fuel, especially when the wind is whistling thorugh the cracks (actually, gaps) in the cabin wall and floor.

UPDATE: here are some videos of this very late ruby throat. The first one shows him/her feeding at Salvia "Waverley" - a small white flower. It starts out badly out of focus but I focus better at the end (I'm a little out of practice!).


The second video is better - he's feeding at Rosebud sage, Salvia involucrata.


In the third video he's feeding at pineapple sage (between the 2 feeders, which I just put up). Pineapple sage is a very late bloomer, so they are well matched.

In the last video, he's approaching pineapple sage, and I have him closer up.




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