The Holler Spa~

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


I love The Holler Spa! First of all, they have an all you can eat buffet which I take full advantage of!

You get to swim in the spa pools, for as long as you want!

Few things feel better than being well fed and well bathed.

I especially like soaking my tail, it needs the extra moisture.

I could also use a manicure, but they don’t offer that here, which is a significant demerit.

But, there is nothing quite like a sunny day at The Holler Spa!

Unfortunately, they let the riff-raff in, like this very pushy thrasher.

The even more really-rude-roadrunner, thinks he belongs on the owner’s table!

The snobby goldfinch is so annoying. She is over prized by the owners, only because she scarcely ever bothers to show up here!
It’s a good spa, but the management could use some improvement.
Cheers to you from The Holler spa~

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305 thoughts on “The Holler Spa~”

  9. Happy, clean birds! And full. I can see that they consider the Holler a real find. They probably aren’t telling any other birds about it. Our birds have to compete with the deer who consider the bird bath their watering dish. A couple of thirsty deer can come close to emptying it. 🙂 –Curt

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      1. Is that what it takes? Laughing. We have an occasional coyote that gets the wildlife excited around here for a day or two. Bears drop by on occasion as well. In fact the way the local dogs were going on last night I wouldn’t be surprised if we had one in the neighborhood. –Curt

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  15. I really like pictures of birds looking wet and dishevelled. They remind me of my Nana’s canary, Dickie. He’d never EVER bathe if he knew he had an audience. But he looked so cute. so vulnerable I suppose, when he was wet and disgruntled.

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    1. It is comical to watch the different species bathe. The towhees just plow in and splash the bejeezus out of the place. The bluejays are like giraffes in Africa, they spend so much time scouting for danger, they barely have time to drink! I love your Nana’s shy canary and I can imagine you being mesmerized as a child by him.

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        1. Did you know they actually sell privacy screens for caged shy birdie bathers. I had to buy one for my parakeet Petie when I was a kid. He would only bathe in the screened bath!

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  20. They are all so cute – our thrashers are shy? Love the roadrunner – we had some in south east Texas but they all mysteriously disappeared. I wonder if it was the change from drought to flood conditions. Wonderful shots as always, Cindy.

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    1. I would be so bummed out if our roadrunners disappeared. One stares in the French doors every morning when I awake. He is my personal alarm clock. I can imagine him thinking, “How long is that lazy sod gonna sleep in today!”

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      1. I love it! My husband followed one down the walking path last year and it was very friendly, even offering him a stick. Two nights ago, our great horned owl discovered our garden full of skunks (one of it’s favorite snacks because it has no sense of smell). All night you could hear this booming ‘Hoo Hoo’ and the chatter of the skunks hiding under the deck.

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  27. Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
    I hope I don’t jinx.. but after a week of broadband disruptions we seem to be stable for the time being and I can go foraging… always share the good stuff with you and it does not get much better than these images from Cindy Knoke. I love my sparrows, blue tits and robins but how I would love to look out of the kitchen window and see these beauties at the feeder. As always a reminder that nature outdoes any fashion designer ever… in colour and design. thanks Cindy.

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  30. What a wonderfully fun post of your feathered friends enjoying their spa-like environment that you’ve kindly created. Must be heavenly to see them daily. <3

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  32. Precious! Our community birdbath is as popular. We keep it clean and filled with fresh water. Regular customers are the ubiquitous house sparrows, starlings, doves, steller’s jays, scrub jays, and crows. Squabbles are common, and there is a clear pecking order. Our observations have discovered some unexpected interactions too. Doves, who have a reputation for timidity, are not so timid after all. They surprisingly seem to be the top-dog here, pushing around the jays and acting very aggressively towards the crows. It’s odd, doves seem to really dislike crows. Maybe it’s because crows will prey on their eggs and babies, we’re not sure. But, the doves and house sparrows get along nicely. We’ve seen them together in the birdbath on many occasions.

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    1. I wonder if they may be ring necked doves. They look just like the resident mourning doves but have rings on their necks. They come from Africa and Asia. We have them at The Holler too. They may be a bit more aggressive.It is interesting how we become amateur biologists on our own turf. I have learned a lot about bird behavior from living at The Holler and I love every minute of it! I would love to watch your doves top dog it!

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  43. Cindy, this is a totally adorable post! Of course, as management, you’ll have to pick up your feet somewhat….. apparently! LOL! Fabulous shots.

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