The Baiting Hollow Hummingbird Sanctuary: Happy 2015 everyone! Male Woodstar closeup; lawsuit

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, January 1, 2015

Happy 2015 everyone! Male Woodstar closeup; lawsuit

Here's a male Bahama Woodstar hummingbird doing his thing on a twig of a Royal Poinciana tree (the spectacular flowers are long over, and now you see the huge hanging seed pods). He's guarding a very large clump of Firecracker, which I zoom out to show at the end of the movie.

I hope that all my readers will have a fabulous hummingbird season in 2015 (it only seems a short time since the Millennium!). While everyone is waiting for the first hummers of the year to arrive, late april or early may, I''ll be posting various hummer and garden vids to cheer you up. I wish I could post something substantive about the ongoing lawsuit, but my lawyer insists that I keep mum. Suffice it to say that it's still bubbling along, and casting shadows beyond the difficult year that's just past. Onward ho!

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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.

BASICS

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy 2015 everyone! Male Woodstar closeup; lawsuit

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