We will be open this afternoon (3-6; lihummer.org) but be prepared for 2 sorts of hovering: tiny quiet graceful hummingbirds, and immense, noisy, ugly helicopters carrying fat cats from Manhattan to East Hampton ($2000 one way!: our bailout money!)
The beautiful images are from last year, by Tom Killip (thanks!). They show 2 views of a young male hummer. From one angle he looks like a female (silver throat) but from another you can see the 4 bright red throat feathers, like drops of blood. Over the winter, in south america all the red throat feathers will emerge, and he will arrive back with his complete splendid gorget ready to dazzle the females, and us too! He may succeed in taking over the sanctuary as his personal territory, and will spend the summer chasing and/or seducing intruders. Or perhaps his father will make it back from the perilous double Gulf crossing, and resume his favorite perch on the high dead maple branches overlooking the western valley.
