A blog that provides up-to-date information about the world's leading (according to Google) hummingbird sanctuary, on high bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound, Riverhead, New York. The sanctuary is private and not open to the general public. Paul's Email: paul.adams%stonybrook.edu.
We sometimes livestream from the sanctuary, at youtube.com/channel/UCvTj9WdD0zItyBLI6m-U9Og/live
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).
It's a very blustery, wet and chilly day at the hummingbird sanctuary, and though it's less than a week since my last hummer sighting, I think the season is definitively over, and I'm taking down my remaining feeders. I just went for a wind-buffeted stroll down to the beach, where there are big disorganized waves and too many pick-up trucks, so I hiked back up the bluff and settled down to watch a few english garden videos on Youtube. Here's one I particularly like :-
Anna Pavord is the gardening correspondent for the "Independent", a national british newspaper, and author of "The Tulip". Every major newspaper has a garden correspondent, but no newspaper in the US does, despite its wealth and five times greater population. The New York Times fired theirs, Anne Raver, several years ago.
Pavord eloquently and accurately writes:
"The soul needs to look out at things and find rest and peace and beauty in the things that the eyes are seeing. I think that’s a need. it’s a need as much as having a roof over your head and food in your stomach."
Oscar Wilde wrote:
Give me the luxuries and I can dispense with the necessities.
(sometimes attributed to Frank Loyd Wright).
Enough ranting, here's a couple of hummer clips from my own modest patch 3 weeks ago :-
The last time I saw a hummingbird at the sanctuary was this monday, october 17. However for several days prior I had not seen a hummer, though I was often away. The one I saw monday looked in good shape and quite plump, so was ready to move on southwards.
The PBS "Nature" video "Superhummingbirds" was wonderful (though the title is not, and the narration not of Attenborough standard). The action videos of a dazzling variety of hummingbird species was amazing. You can still watch the video at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/super-hummingbirds-full-episode/14586/
though this may not last much longer.
Claire and I have also been enjoying the current Masterpiece Theater series "The Durells in Corfu". We are both great fans of Gerald Durrell's books, especially "My Family and Other Animals" (about his magical childhood in Corfu), on which the new series is partly based. Another of his fantastic books (and titles!) - "The Aye-Aye and I".
Here's a video of a flower bed and a hummer at a feeder, from september.
2 very gray, stormy and windy weekend days in Baiting Hollow, so I thought I'd post a few clips of activity here at the height of summer, all showing a hummingbird feeding at one of their favorites, red porterweed.
1 pm october 10 update: lunching in the sun, preparing this afternoon's class, thinking about my late brother Mark (it's his birthday) - and I just saw a hummingbird!
We had a week of blustery, gray and damp weather and I did not get to spend much time outdoors, but over the last week I've had several hummingbird sightings, though of course numbers are way down and soon will reach zero. Here's a clip from yesterday (oct 7).
On oct 1 I met with with 2 senior partners at an eminent east end law firm to discuss whether it would be possible, under the terms of the lawsuit settlement stipulation I signed back in july, to preserve part of my land in perpetuity as a hummingbird sanctuary open to the public. They advised me that my best option would be to donate the land to an existing nature conservation organization. I have already discussed this with the Peconic Land Trust (who already own nearby residentially-zoned land that's open to the public and shares the Terry Farm Rd private access easement), however they tell me they cannot undertake to operate it as I have in the past, as a natural hummingbird sanctuary. I think they have been scared by the difficulties they have had in getting permits to continue to operate Bridge Garden (see https://www.peconiclandtrust.org/bridge_gardens.html).
So I'm now exploring other preservation options, and will announce any progress at this blog. In the meantime, many thanks for your support over the past season.
Today the light was brilliant and since there are till quite a few hummingbirds around I spent an hour filming. I was able to get very close to a patient perched youngster (I think a young male) - only about 4 feet away - and here is one of the results, filmed with my new Sony 4K camcorder. First version is real time, second is 4X slo-mo. In the slo-mo version you can clearly see the brief beak-opening (presumably corresponding to a brief "squeak") near the beginning, which is so quick it's almost impossible to catch on the real-time version. In fact, if you run the slo-mo version at 0.5 speed you can see he does a second brief beak-opening. The movie was not shot at 4K resolution, but even the HD is much better on the Sony.
And here's a much longer sequence from the same set, in regular time, showing a general zoom-out at the end.
Here for comparison is a close-up of an adult male from a couple of years ago (though not quite as close) filmed with my Canon HD camcorder.
Currently Available Visiting Dates (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: paul.adams^stonybrook.edu)
any time between am:(10-12.30) or pm : (3-5)
fri sept 9 pm only
monday sept 12, pm
tues sept 13 am,pm
wed sept 14 am only
thur sept 15 am,pm
all dates rain or shine; no early birds! We then close for the year; next season (july 20 -sept 15 2017) will be our LAST! Here's a hawk (probably a juvenile red-tailed) I filmed yesterday from the top of my bluff.
and here's a watching hummingbird
and a few more recent vids
How to Visit
PLEASE ONLY REQUEST APPOINTMENTS FOR A SPECIFIC, CURRENTLY POSTED, DATE AND TIME (AM OR PM), and state your first and last names. I CANNOT ANSWER EMAILS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THESE ESSENTIAL DETAILS! PLENTY OF MORE DATES WILL BE POSTED, BUT YOU MUST WAIT AND CHOOSE A SPECIFIC, ANNOUNCED, DATE/TIME. DO NOT ASK FOR RANDOM FUTURE DATES, or to make an appointment for an undefined person or period. THANKS! However, if you can or must WALK to the sanctuary (1/2 mile from Sound Ave) let me - we may have some flexibility.
We will be opening 3 1/2 days a week until sept 15. However, the exact future dates we will open may not yet been decided (depends partly on weather). Please do not request an appointment for days other than those announced at this blog (see above). Requests for undefined not-yet-posted dates will be ignored: I simply cannot keep track of your requests, you have to keep track of my available dates as they are posted (typically a few days ahead). If you want a date in, say, mid-august (eg aug 15) please wait until (and if) that date is posted (probably some time around aug 10-12). Taking reservations on a rolling, as available, basis works best for me (e.g. allows for weather, unforeseen circumstances etc), makes it more likely you will actually show for your appointment (no-shows reduce the limited visiting opportunities for others). Email me (paul.adams%stonybrook.edu) which of the available (i.e. posted) "slots" (dates and times; visits are either 10-12.30 or 3-5; NO EARLY BIRDS) you want to come, mentioning your name, if you have visited before, and the expected number in your ONE car, and whether ALL are good walkers (there are difficult trails). I'll send you an email with directions and instructions, which you should read carefully. If you tell me you can conform with these instructions, I'll then send a confirmation of your appointed visit, with the necessary liability waiver form, which you must sign and bring with you. If the currently posted dates do not suit you, please wait for suitable dates to be posted - plenty more to come. Attempted visits without an appointment and signed waiver are TRESPASS.
Please don't ask for a future date, or ask me to pick a date - keeping track just gets too complicated. Once the quota for each "slot" is filled, I'll immediately remove the posting - so, just before you email me, check for the current available dates/times. This is the system I used the last 2 years, and once you get the hang of it, it's a cinch: just wait for the date/time (am/pm) you want then email me with your choice and name.
The only exception is for my personal friends, who, unlike the general public, are not subject to the quotas imposed by the recent lawsuit settlement (of which I'll be writing more soon). They can visit at any time (by appointment), preferably when we are NOT open, so I can give you my full attention.
Currently Available Visiting Dates (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: paul.adams^stonybrook.edu
any time between am:(10-12.30) or pm : (3-5)
CLOSED LABOR DAY
thur sept 8, am,pm
fri sept 9 pm only
sunday, sept 11, pm
monday sept 12, pm
tues sept 13 am,pm
wed sept 14 am only
thur sept 15 am,pm
all dates rain or shine; no early birds! We then close for the year; next season (july 20 -sept 15 2017) will be our LAST! Winds yesterday evening and during the night were very strong (we are completely exposed to northeast winds) and big waves are breaking on the beach below. I went down the bluff at 7.45 this morning and was relieved to see that although the waves came almost to the bluff toe, they did not quite reach it, so there is, so far, no erosion (unlike during Sandy). But the beach itself has been scoured clean and for once looks like a real beach, not a Nascar track. Here are a couple of videos.
More important, the hummingbirds seem to be more or less coping with the difficult conditions, though the flowers and feeder are taking some damage.
How to Visit
PLEASE ONLY REQUEST APPOINTMENTS FOR A SPECIFIC, CURRENTLY POSTED, DATE AND TIME (AM OR PM), and state your first and last names. I CANNOT ANSWER EMAILS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THESE ESSENTIAL DETAILS! PLENTY OF MORE DATES WILL BE POSTED, BUT YOU MUST WAIT AND CHOOSE A SPECIFIC, ANNOUNCED, DATE/TIME. DO NOT ASK FOR RANDOM FUTURE DATES, or to make an appointment for an undefined person or period. THANKS! However, if you can or must WALK to the sanctuary (1/2 mile from Sound Ave) let me - we may have some flexibility.
We will be opening 3 1/2 days a week until sept 15. However, the exact future dates we will open may not yet been decided (depends partly on weather). Please do not request an appointment for days other than those announced at this blog (see above). Requests for undefined not-yet-posted dates will be ignored: I simply cannot keep track of your requests, you have to keep track of my available dates as they are posted (typically a few days ahead). If you want a date in, say, mid-august (eg aug 15) please wait until (and if) that date is posted (probably some time around aug 10-12). Taking reservations on a rolling, as available, basis works best for me (e.g. allows for weather, unforeseen circumstances etc), makes it more likely you will actually show for your appointment (no-shows reduce the limited visiting opportunities for others). Email me (paul.adams%stonybrook.edu) which of the available (i.e. posted) "slots" (dates and times; visits are either 10-12.30 or 3-5; NO EARLY BIRDS) you want to come, mentioning your name, if you have visited before, and the expected number in your ONE car, and whether ALL are good walkers (there are difficult trails). I'll send you an email with directions and instructions, which you should read carefully. If you tell me you can conform with these instructions, I'll then send a confirmation of your appointed visit, with the necessary liability waiver form, which you must sign and bring with you. If the currently posted dates do not suit you, please wait for suitable dates to be posted - plenty more to come. Attempted visits without an appointment and signed waiver are TRESPASS.
Please don't ask for a future date, or ask me to pick a date - keeping track just gets too complicated. Once the quota for each "slot" is filled, I'll immediately remove the posting - so, just before you email me, check for the current available dates/times. This is the system I used the last 2 years, and once you get the hang of it, it's a cinch: just wait for the date/time (am/pm) you want then email me with your choice and name.
The only exception is for my personal friends, who, unlike the general public, are not subject to the quotas imposed by the recent lawsuit settlement (of which I'll be writing more soon). They can visit at any time (by appointment), preferably when we are NOT open, so I can give you my full attention.
