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Home My WebLink AboutJuly 29, 2004 - 'Fragments of the rainbow' � July 29, 2004 • The Suffolk Times r�, m e n � • � o e raln ow ��_, __ _ , , , , , ,,, ,, �, �,�,,,, ,, , � ti ,; ti n � �u i��u�ii �, i �l i� �� /� w 4uy� e �r�%�li��i��l� l�p��k�,, � ¢i� � ,�'�� l ll��` �, r� �. ��, ; �,, ,. , „ �;,,>,�p,��,�; ��i�i " ';,' \ tik,'� , ��i�'; ,i�,��x� � ��i�� . ��l �� d� �� , � ��iq, . .. "� �'tr�i� vlti,�. '"� ,�' , � u, ��,IJ ,�i�' � �� "�; >n,��i�n ��l'Y . . �l� ,,,,,,,,,,.H�ns i �i iiii� �� i �pi � iYn��pl��l�ry��r � � ll,��i � r� ,�l � ��' �i� �� ffi i � F � i � i tir lA�l ii i lI i � '�� 4 ! n l�� i r /l�l ll�l�� h � � �r lllltiil 1pq� l il� �irlN� � ial ii �. r � 1��l�/y��l i��lll�N��G��r�u/ � iF � ��;iill��l��%��l�n��i��jlil��1%��1��i��ly r �1�Nn �im�� `'�,��'n�, � k� : ,«dd6a�u�,l :' �� . � i� �i�lrri�%i��'r�%h H�rm��i� � , �a� " ""�' i ,p'� ��INr �. �i�i l�F qiur l Nl��- r r�� '"'� � � .� �u/�'„ati%rl��/��%��rr'IGN��jll —�— � �,�1'll��liu��i��ri��lj Tinu /H��vi�w photos by �� i �� , ��/�y� Paul and Barbara Stoutenburgh ��^ ,�� u, "'"�� '`,,�� lr�H�;�%��; Left: A male hummingbird sips sugar water, � ,�,w w , , � � °�� ;��-��j��i made of one part sugar and four parts water, ir� r i '. ., . ^�. �r�i��r!lr��"� � ` i �� ,�, ,� �� '�,� � , '� ' from a hummingbird feeder. Honey should not �'�� ' �� r°��"��"%�'��"�, ��",� �� `""^ be used and red color is not really necessary. l �� d y'" `�lp��'�� 'll�il' ��rr,��yi,� � �� I'�i� �� ,,, 'r ' �°j�� " '�� Above: A female ruby-throated hummingbird "'�"i�� a, ��/ �' �.� � � ,�;i'i"��'�� , at its tiny nest, with a little one hiding inside. i � � � �/��17�1U�4i,0��i � ;� �q d r � .,, �.,.! �r+��,,,�� ,�� !��1 � ° � ��'"��,��," �` '�;�"i� �� , The nest, which is no bi er than half a wal- ,�, � � � ,r �-�q� �l„�,,,; ;�� ,�, Jg ' ' ° "-- �� ' ',,�/� nut shell, is made of soft plant down with � ��''" �' � �;��,r,'� lichens on the outside, all held together by !; spider webs. When finished, it looks like part � � ,,;; of the tree. The hidden li fe o f as it rested on the nearby tele- a hummingbird F��'V$ phone wire that ran through our I cuEss'['xE FiRST T�tvtE I became ON neighbor's gar- aware of hummingbirds was years ago �[Q"'�'j,JRE den.Every once when my dad told me he planted two by Paul in a while you'd special plants in his garden to attract Stoutenburgh see it fly up and them.One was the trumpet creeper, snatch a gnat or which was outside his bedroom win- mosquito out of dow,and the other was bee balm,a the air.These insects supplement plant red-flowering plant that humming- nectar from flowers,which,of course, birds can't resist.I can remember see- is their main source of food.They sip ing one of those little bits of wonder - ivin nectar with their long bills,which can reach deep inside most flowers.In those early years we never did find out where they nested. Years later when I was photograph- ing night herons in what is now Indian Island County Park in Riverhead,I was finally able to photograph the Hummingbirds are the only birds ruby-throated hummingbird without that can f1y forward and backward,up too much inconvenience,for it had and down.The ruby-throat has been built its tiny nest on a low branch of a clocked on a straightaway at 60 mph. white oak tree.Today we're still trying Often I et ca11s from readers who tell to attract them to our garden with special feeders,but never have much about swarms of hummingbirds in doesn't mess up the nest.You've got luck.For some reason I only see them their yards.When they describe them to see this to believe it. as they pass through on their spring to me,I hate to tell them that what If you happen to see one of these and fall migrations. they probably are seeing is the day- little jewels about,keep watching as it Yet my son who lives in Mattituck flying"hummingbird moth,"a mem- flies back and forth to your feeder or has had them nesting for years around ber of the sphinx family.They have plants.Eventually you will see it land his place,and Joanne,who lives on the the same ability of hovering in the ai on the limb of a tree and,once repeat- Sound in Cutchogue,has no trouble as they draw nectar from flowers. ed,it gives you a pretty good clue as attracting these masters of the air to �en we went to check on one of to where it is nesting.Just to stay alive, her feeders.She even found the nest of �hese swarms in Peconic,they turned hummingbirds must feed continuously a pair this year right outside her front out to be the hummingbird moths. throughout the day.At night it goes door.When we received her call this Our ruby-throat is such a tiny thin into a sort of suspended animation;its past week inviting us to come and It weighs one-tenth of an ounce,the temperature drops and its energy out- photograph them,we jumped at the equivalent of a penny in weight. put sinks,letting it make it through invitation.What a pleasure to just Someone figured out that the night. watch them as they come to the feeder it would take about 150 In the winter they head with wings beating;up and down,back hummingbirds to make a Hummingbirds south to the mare tropical and forth,hovering in mid-air,they p�und.The females are a world.Hummingbirds seem to defy all the rules of flight. littic larger than the mal�s are the only have been found to fly If you want to attract hummingbirds an� huild the nest,lay the birds that ean across long bodies of to your yard,you can offer them some eggs and do all the house- fIy fOlWard water,some 500 miles of their favorite flowers,such as 1�eeping and feeding while without stopping.They columbine salvia,hone suckle bee the male just enjoys life, and baCl(WaIYI� can do that remarkable balm,phlox,petunias,lilies,trumpet showing off his iridescent Up and (�OW11. Peat by building up layers creeper and others.You may also want green coloring and his of fat befare they leave to attract them by using a special dazzling ruby-colored for the south. IYs this fat hummingbird feeder with the mixture hroat,which gives him his name. t�at acts as a re;serve far these unique of four parts water to one part sugar �e female lays two eggs the size of little birds.Hummingbirds have the and,oh,yes,it's not necessary to put pea.It is quite something to watch highest metabolism of any warm- that red dye in to make it attractive. he little ones grow.They hatch in blooded vertebrate in the world As a matter of fact,some books say bout 14 to 16 days and are ready to except perhaps the shrew,a tiny not to use it because it might not be ly in another 21 days.To see the full- mouse-like mammal.They,too,must good for the birds. grown young in the nest,you wonder eat continuously or they'll starve to There are over 319 species of hum- how the female could fit on the edge death. mingbirds throughout the world and to feed them.The nest is made to look Have you ever heard the old wives' ct we get only the ruby-throated here like part of the tree,the outside being tale about hummingbirds?It was in the east.Of course,there are excep- covered with lichen and the inside is thought that because they were so ions,the main one being that we made of soft plant down.I'd say the small,they needed help to get to their ccasionally see a western visitor nest is about the size of half a walnut wintering grounds,so they hitchhiked alled the rufous hummingbird.Some shell.The whole marvel is held togeth- on the back of geese.Sounds like a f you might remember my writing er with spider webs—simply amazing. pretty unique idea,but not true. about a rufous hummingbird that con- Usually they have two broods,and So have fun with the hummingbirds tinually visited Ruth Oliva's feeder I've heard where on one occasion they �n your back yard.Put out a feeder out in Orient during the months of had three,one overlapping the other. with sugar water and plant some of November and December last year. Years ago over in North Sea,I set up their favarite flowers.With a little luck This unusual western stray drew bird- a blind,or a hide as the English would you,too,will be able to enjoy what ers from far and near.It had somehow call it,from which I photographed.I Audubon called those"glittering frag- drifted out of its native range.Imagine watched for hours while the female ments of the rain it staying alive so late in the season fed the young.I'll never forget seeing when all its natural food supply of that long bill going down the throat of insects and nectar had long since dis- the young until it seemed like it would a eared. come out the other end. And speaking of the"other end," when the young have to dei'ecate,they merely put their little tails up over Che ed e and shoot the waste out so it