The Holler Preens it’s Plumage~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES

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I couldn’t do another post on Holler birds without including The Holler Hummers could I?

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The year-round hummers are mellow and co-operative.

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Right, and I am the Queen of Bavaria!

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We have oak groves full of all sorts of birds including droves of Acorn Woodpeckers in their smart red pope caps.
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There are Western Scrub Jays,
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who don’t like being photographed,
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and very shy Western Bluebirds,
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who like it even less!
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“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without words
And never stops at all.” (Emily Dickinson)
Cheers to you from your Holler feathered friends~

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266 thoughts on “The Holler Preens it’s Plumage~”

    1. Hummers can flash their colors at will. When they do it full force it is too much for a photo. It comes off like a aura of intense color. Maybe I should post it sometime anyway. It is amazing.

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      1. Back at the Holler!

        Re: posting full force Hummers — yes please, Cindy I would love to see the aura of colors. Being a city girl for most of my life, I simply can’t imagine. Again, BEAUTIFUL photography – and Dickinson is one of my favorite poets, so the quote was an additional treat.
        xx,
        mgh
        (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
        -ADD Coach Training Field founder/ADD Coaching co-founder-
        “It takes a village to transform a world!”

        Reply

  17. The only Emily Dickinson I can bring to mind is, “A bird came down the walk, he did not know I saw. He bit and Angle Worn in half and ate the fellow raw.” But I do so like your birds.

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  27. Great birds of feather, Cindy, undoubtedly flocking together to the Holler. Couldn’t help but notice that scrub Jay looked awful skinny in comparison to the ones that hang out here. Also, you acorn woodpeckers have more yellow. –Curt

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      1. Regretfully, back home again in Indiana, and forgot to bring some warm and sunshine along with me !!! As I write it’s 9deg outside and was -3 this a.m. All mostly well…, this darned cold simply wants to hang on forever. I’ll survive though. Hope all is well with you, Cindy. G’nite !

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  30. I really like your bird posts, Cindy. ♡♡ I also enjoy studying how different they are from our birds. 🙂 The western scrub Jay and western blue birds are so different. Those hummers grab my heartstrings. Little busy bees, they are. Wishing you more pleasant days and peaceful, dreamy nights, Cindy. Hugs, Robin

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    1. Hugs back to you Robin and I also, so enjoy, looking at birds that don’t live at The Holler. It makes me want to travel to see them. But then, everything makes me want to travel and see, as you have by now noticed! Have a wonderful week my friend~ <3

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  40. Such striking photos Cindy. Especially the photos of the Hummer.
    Augustine once said that there are two musical species in the world — birds and humans (taken from ‘Scribbling in the Sand’ by Michael Card).
    🙂

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    1. Thank you! How fascinating. He maybe never got to hear whales, or wolves, coyotes, frog symphanies, or crickets choruses. I bet we could keep going couldn’t we? Still I appreciate the core of his idea, and you for introducing me to it. Birds are intrinsically musical.

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      1. Oh yes, you definitely have a point there. Creation is a symphony in and of itself, isn’t it? Hahaha. But yes, birds are intrinsically musical. They have the melody I guess, and the other animals have the instruments. Hahaha.
        🙂

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  43. Ah, your hummers & other beautiful birds are preening their plumage, while my snowman is preening his carrot nose! Oh….wait a minute… my snowman has turned into a lump of ice. Never mind! No preening in Toronto. 😉

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    1. The preening in Toronto in the winter happens inside Resa’s house when she makes a new art gown. I was just at your art gown blog yesterday, fantasizing about that gold gown…….

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  45. Cindy, I always love each and every one of your photos but it’s hard to me to go passed your eagles in flight series there. I really appreciated the detail of the feathers, especially in a moving bird.
    Years ago, I drove across the Nullarbour Plain in outback Australia (was driven really!). I tried photographing the eagles there and it was very difficult to catch anything. They go after the fallen roos or road kill. You see them perched on top of their spoils glaring at an oncoming road train and puffing up their feathers before making a hasty retreat. Quite funny really.

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    1. They are just a thrill to see aren’t they! I have to go back to Australia and spend time with the birds. Australia is bird heaven, and thus heaven on earth for me. Your experience in the Nullarbour Plain sounds just incredible. I would so love to see the outback. Cheers my friend and thank you too!

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      1. The birds here are incredible, although I don’t have a lot to compare them to. Around here, you get flocks of wild Sulphur-Crested cockatoos or cockies as we call them. There are aso flocks of gallahs and Rainbow-crested lorrikeets. They’re probably my favourite birds and we’re lucky to have such personalities.
        The Nullarbor was incredible. I have been across it a few times…once by car and twice by train. My first time on the train, I was a student and I sat up the whole way and had a break in Adelaide. I remember photographing the shadows of teleraph poles out in the desert. Couldn’t wait to get out of there at the time but that broad sense of space really resonated for me later on, especially when I was in Paris and found it quite claustrophobic. The cliffs around the Great Australian Bite were incredible. I went over there pre digital so I’ll have to scan my photos in and post them some time. Our scanner is currently broken so it could be awhile.
        Hope you have a great weekend.
        Best wishes,
        Rowena

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      2. Yep. I must return. I remember the flocks of galahs and sulfur crested cockatoos as well as bushes full of black cockatoos crying like cats. I went for several days to a park where huge varieties of parrtos, parakeets, even a king parrot ate from my hand and walked over my feet. You have to understand for me this is nirvana. You are so lucky!

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    1. They are so camera shy. All the blue colored birds at The Holler are super camera shy. Bird watching is intensely relaxing, and half the time I find all sorts of other creatures besides birds! 😀

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