It's the beginning of December and I realize the Long Island summer of 2012 is long over. It decided to go out with a bang this year and we, as so many other LIers, were not unscathed. A tree fell through the roof of our summer home sending us to the nearby Holiday Inn for a few weeks. We finally gave up the ship, since repairs are slow in coming with overwhelmed workers, and we headed south to our winter home leaving me missing Long Island and all those who I love there. So, today before the year is over I thought I'd revisit and share with you this past summer's trip to The Hummingbird Sanctuary in Baiting Hollow.
The sanctuary is owned, run and cared for selflessly by the very generous Professor Paul Adams of Stony Brook University. It is a several acre parcel of land that sits in Baiting Hollow atop a cliff overlooking Long Island sound. Think Paradise! It contains a cliff side garden, a tiny cottage to enjoy inside and out, a shaded meadow and a zig zag path to the beach. It is a glorious, casual and wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon.
Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy these few of the hundreds of photos that my husband took during our visits there this summer. (And, as always, if you'd rather skip my jibber jabber just click twice on any photo and it will enlarge with a row of all the photos in this post below it that you can run through by themselves)...
The Sanctuary Roadway
The Very Official Sanctuary Sign
The Even More Unofficial Parking Lot
The Wonderful Little Hummingbird Cottage, Also Called "Seagull Lodge"
And As You Round The Cottage Corner...
The Cottage Back Porch A Delightfully Shady Place To Sit While Searching for Hummingbirds And Overlooking The Cliffside Garden and Long Island Sound
You Will See An Expansive View Of Long Island Sound And Even Connecticut On A Clear Day
And All The Beautiful Cliffside Garden Visitors
Butterflies Love It Here Too
The Classic Monarch
Bzzzzzzz
So Gorgeous
Hubby's Trick Photography :)
The Strange Looking Hummingbird Moth
He Seems Like A Cross Between A Bumble Bee And Butterfly And To Mix It Up A Bit More They Are Almost Always Found Where Hummingbirds Feed.
Looking to the Right of the Cliffside Garden Is The Star Of The Show.....
Who Will Get To Dessert First?
Mmmmmm
One Of The Rarer Male Ruby Throated Hummers
A Few Cliffside Garden Visitor Photos Follow Below...
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They Are Such Busy Little Fellows And Gals
This Wonderful Grassy Knoll Lies To The Right Of The Cottage
Yours Truly At A Beautiful Spot Overlooking Long Island Sound And Located At The Beginning Of The Winding Beach Trail
Contemplating The Deep Blue Sky?
This Little Fella Is Taking A Much Earned Rest
Below are photos of some of the flowers you will see that were planted in The Sanctuary by Professor Adams to attract the hummers. As you can see The Sanctuary is 3 1/2 acres of pure and natural beauty. I've attempted to name a few of the flowers with their everyday nicknames here, but a horticulturist I am not. Please help me name them in a comment below if you can!
Columbine
Mimosa
Mimosa
Crepe Myrtle
Angel Trumpet
A Candid Photo Of Our Patient Photographer
Is This Not A Cliffside Paradise?
Once You Arrive You Really Don't Want To Leave!
Seems As Though He's Saying, "Welcome Back To My Garden"!
As You Walk Through The Cottage To The Cliff's Edge Garden You Quickly Realize That Much Is Going On In Nature's World
Busy,
Busy!
Busy!!
Busy,
Busier,
Bzzziest
When your visit comes to an end and it's time to take one last look at the hummers, the garden with it's pretty pastel flowers, busy butterflies and bees and the cliffside view of Long Island Sound I promise you are going to have a difficult time tearing yourself away from this little piece of Long Island paradise...
Farewell, until next time...
Thank you Dr. Paul Adams for your tireless work on behalf of our natural world, peace and quiet, and all those of us who you so generously share these precious things with. I hope you know that your amazing and monumental efforts do not go unnoticed nor do they go unappreciated. You are truly one of the most special and selfless people I have had the pleasure of meeting.
wow - I have to visit this place...just beautiful - I could live in that little cottage quite nicely :o) Your hubby is quite the photographer - beautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteWow Folks, nice job. The next time we all get together, this would be a really cool place to visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks again Mom and Dad for your eloquent words and beautiful pictures.
Once again - SPECTACULAR! Now YOU have inspired me. Yes I'll be dragging out the paint and rice paper. I never would have dreamed a place like this for hummingbirds with the wind from the Sound. Love, Cousin joanie
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, nature. Nobody does it better than God. Thank you both for sharing your talent in both photography and words to convey His beauty to us!
ReplyDeleteUpon looking at the beautiful Monarch I had a chuckle. My granddaughter, when she was about three years old, called it a WalMart Butterfly! This is one of Grandma's fond memories.......
Kathy Huff
Wow...I have got to check this place out!!! Gorgeous photos!!!! xoxo
ReplyDeleteP.S. Went back and read your jibber jabber and LOVE IT...Love your blogging!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone. It's so nice for us to share these beautiful places with all of you in words and photos.
ReplyDeleteI just happened upon your blog. A little over a year ago, we retired to Naples, FL, but I often find myself surfing the web for pictures & info about Long Island, where I lived most of my life. I've never been to the Hummingbird sanctuary, but it's now on my list. Beautiful. Since you also live in Naples, I wonder if you know of similar places here?
ReplyDeleteLinda, I don't know if you'll see my answer here or not, but I have no other way to get in touch, so I'll give it a try. We sometimes travel via Alligator Alley to Flamingo Gardens in Davie on the East Coast. And then there is also Fairchild Gardens in Coral Gables. Both of these places are lovely and not far once you've crossed The Alley. There is also Butterfly World in Coconut Creek just north of Ft. Lauderdale on the East Coast and there is also a butterfly gardens in Ft. Myers that we haven't visited yet.
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever missing the Northeast while you're in Naples I highly recommend an overnight visit to Mount Dora, about an hour north of Tampa. It's like stepping into a New England village on a huge lake and filled with big trees dripping with Spanish Moss. There are many small shops and good restaurants to visit. And, the town hold several annual festivals that are fun. I believe their crafts festival is in this month, October.
Enjoy!
Thanks Judi! Oh yes, Mt Dora! We had heard about it so we stopped there when we were on our way from NY to Naples. We only stayed a couple hours, but it's on my list to go back this winter. Loved it. If you think of any other great places, my email is lindahope356@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked it!! Very special place, particularly to be in FL. Thanks for writing.
DeleteThankyou for the pictures of the hummingbird moth. I see one every morning when I pick cut flowers for the farm where I work. I thought it was a bird because of the way it helicoptored up when it was done feeding. I'm glad to know what I'm looking at but a little sad it's not a hummingbird
ReplyDeleteGlad to oblige. :) My husband was enthralled with them when he first noticed them, so he had to find out just what they were. They are pretty cool. :)
Deletewe would like to visit this afternoon as my husband is feeling well and able to come. Rhoda Tauber
ReplyDeletewe have tried several time to contact you as per your instructions but did were not successful.
ReplyDeleteYou did get through to me by email only yesterday or today. Both of your comments came at the same time. I haven't visited the sanctuary since I posted these pictures....and we were only visitors. I do not run it and have no control over visitors. You would have to contact them through their own website. From what I've heard a wealthy neighbor moved in next door and is trying to shut the sanctuary down. I don't know if it's even possible to visit anymore. Again, you'd have to contact the sanctuary itself. So sorry.
DeleteI have a few in my backyard they come back every year
ReplyDelete