I was sitting at my desk, just getting ready to post on birds of the far southern hemisphere, when I looked up and there walked Big-Bob! (All new critters at The Holler get names.) So instead of birds from the far south, you’re gonna get critter action from the Holler’s wild-west.
Of course Big-Bob, a great egret, doesn’t belong here. He belongs at the lake, but this is one of the many things I love about birds, they don’t follow human directions, and they pay no attention to where ornithologists say they should be.
Anyhoo, I grabbed my camera and followed Big-Bob. He was on a mission and unfortunately lizards were on the menu. Meet Fred.
Fred knows us. He is a very large, very old alligator lizard, but he got much smaller when Meep-Meep, the roadrunner, relieved him of his tail, which he is diligently trying to grow back, and resting a lot accordingly. He is also molting which makes everything worse, poor Fred.
Fred is now understandably wary of all large birds. He took one look at Big-Bob and bolted to safety. It was a good day for Fred and Big-Bob, but a not a good day at all for poor Little Lizzy!
You may see Flash the hummer in this photo flying close to observe the predator-prey interaction. Flash lives with us year round and some of you may remember Flash. I have lots of talks with him about staying away from large predator birds like Meep-meep and Big-Bob who like to eat hummers, but as I mentioned before, birds don’t listen to humans, so you can see Flash buzzing Big-Bob like nobody’s business.
So, instead of cheers to you from the birds of the far south,
it’s cheers to you from the hungry Holler’s wild-west-critters~
Share this:
Discover more from Cindy Knoke
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Growing up we lived on a hill above a huge forest that was, thankfully, marked as indigenous land (until it recently half of it went for a hefty price and turned into more housing in an already saturated area). There were all sorts of birds and small creatures living in there. My Mom kept saying that there was a blue heron which would fly over our house and down into the forest. Everyone told her she was crazy because they don’t come up this far north. But for a few years, there was actually a family of them that would spend the warmer months gracing our little part of the world. So, yes, they do not listen to what silly humans think should be the norm! I love all your creatures, but poor little Lizzie. 🙁
Oh how wonderful! What a excellent environment for a child to grow up in. It sounds so much like The Holler. We live next to a nature reserve and are surrounded by open space. It is a wonderful way to live and I could never go back to an urban life. I love that your mom was right about the herons and that groups of them came to stay. Smart mom and smart birds!
What a wonderful interaction (except for poor Lizzie). Big Bob is such an unusual looking bird. That neck is so long! Great photos, Cindy.
I imagine he uses his neck like a speargun underwater ready to stab with that rapier beak. He would be formidable to a fish!
Nature at it’s best. We eat and we get eaten. 🙂
Yes. Keeps our relative lack of importance in perspective.
Fabulous photos and post Cindy! Big Bob is quite a guy. 💛
Thank you Val. He is Big Beautiful Bob! <3
Nature can seem cruel to us humans, but how else are critters gonna eat unless they catch their dinner? Great photo story, Cindy! I love the hummer — brave little spirit!
Nature doesn’t seem that cruel to me compared to humans. Little Lizzy may have a different opinion though…..
Brilliant photograph of Big Bob, Lizzie, and the hummer Flash!
Thank you and I am so pleased you enjoyed and took the time to tell me <3
Fabulous!
Alison
Hope all is well with you two. I imagine you are either on the move or just about to move……
New post coming up today or tomorrow with all the latest news 🙂 xox
<3
Big Bob is beautiful! I love the variety you get.
Big Bob was a capital V for variety! 😉 Thrilled me to no end. Of course Lizzy has a wildly different opinion.
I bet she does!
Poor baby.
I love egrets and we get some across the street in the old lemon grove from time to time. Big Bob is so appropriately named.
I love to watch them walk on land in slo-mo, lifting their feet up so high as if they walking through a foot of water. We live amidst citrus groves too. Maybe they like them!
Wildlife entertainment in your own backyard!
The best entertainment there is for me. Forget Hollywood. Bring on the wildlife!
That is awesome to have Mr. Big-Bob walked right in front of your door. Poor Mr. Fred. I hope he has his new tail grow back fully.
Very nice pictures of these animal friends.
Fred is not happy. I wouldn’t be either if I were him. He had such a long and amazing tail!
What a captivating narration. I chuckled at their names but I’m not sure that I wouldn’t run 5 miles in the opposite direction from Fred.
There is this primal human aversion to reptiles. Maybe it kept us alive in the very olden history. Now I am much more averse towards people like president trump.
That is fantastic indeed…the images are charming and ur way of telling and commenting on them is so exciting..
How lovely of you to say! Makes me smile. Thank you & cheers to you~
Beautiful bird!
Yes, quite elegant really~
This one is looking fragile but really elegant!
I’m convinced that birds are major league gossips, and word gets around about good places to hang out. How long does it take for word to get around a feeder’s been refilled? Big Bob must have listened in on the grapevine.
I agree with you 100%!
Amazing !!!!! Just superb pics👌
You are very kind & most appreciated <3
Pingback: Brown Creeper | Pat Bean's blog
This blog earned a Bean Pat as blog pick of the day. Check it out at http//patbean.wordpress.com
Awwww, you touched my <3 Pat! Thank you very much~
Wow, Big Bob! Birds are happy to see you. 🙂
Beautiful photos, Cindy <3
Thanks Amy, beautiful birds make nice pics!
Wow! How wonderful to see an egret right at home 🙂 Your bird photos are always captivating. Lovely details!
I am very pleased you enjoyed them & have a wonderful weekend <3
Thank you , you have a wonderful weekend as well Cindy <3
🐦🐦
Great shots, poor Lizzy!
Yes, poor Lizzy. Such is life….. <3
Big Bob is quite a character! So is Flash! So you are “home in the Holler.” How far did your great southern expedition get this time? Did you make it to Antarctica? I know you have many more wonderful sights to show us; in our minds some of us are still in Patagonia! Thanks for the shared adventures!
Isn’t it the most wonderful thing to travel in your imagination! I do it all the time. It is excellent for your mental health and blood pressure. We didn’t cross the Drake Passage this time. The weather was not cooperative. Still it is always in my mind to go back to Antarctica. Our first time was so amazing though, I almost hate to ruin the perfect memories.
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Cindy Knoke is back a the Holler catching up with the residents. There is danger afoot for short tailed lizards and their friends as Big-Bob hunts for breakfast and their only protection is a tiny hummingbird called flash who is brave enough to take on the gigantic predator… this would make a great movie.. Big-Bob and the Hummer. Fabulous photos as always from Cindy. Please head over and dive into her archives… take supplies you will be there for a while.
I wish you wrote my descriptors. You make it sound so exciting, whilst accurately describing everything that happened. What talent! Hugs to you sweet Sally & have an awesome weekend <3 <3
I felt I was there and I did feel so proud of that fearless hummer.. thanks again Cindy for an incredible set of images. ♥♥
💜💜💜
Pingback: Blogging at the Holler’s for the Birds! – The Militant Negro™
How entertaining!! You’ve got a gift for sure! For some reason this story reminded me of Mark Twain 😊💜
So kind. Thank you! Mark Twain is one of a kind, and I adore him, so even the mention of his name is huge honor. I love what he said about corvids and congressmen, check it out:
https://cindyknoke.com/2014/06/19/corvids-congressmen/
Haha that was great. Yes unfortunately for us the similarities are there. And I missed where I started his quote and for the first few sentences or so I thought it was still you 😉 thank you for sharing!
“unfortunately for us the similarities are there.” Yes. Exactly! 💜
Oh, boy, I love it! You have a whole world going on there 🙂
I love all the characters! It’s like a play that never ends. 💜
you always have such entertaining stories to tell Cindy!
Muchas gracias mi amigo!
Oh, poor Lizzy.
Fred reminds me of the many squiggly tails loking for their owners when I was a young kid in tropical Philippines. Young me was quite amused that the tails could move on their own. This adult me, however, is glad that Fred can grow back a new tail. 😁
Yes! I have seen the same thing. It is like they have a life of their own, searching for their owners!
EGADS!!!! Or I suppose I should say EGRETS!!!!
🎵🎵 Chain , chain, chain of food 🎵🎵 sung to the tune of “Chain of Fools” 😀
I am singing it now…… Love you Aretha!
But just switched to Cocker:
“Unchain my my heart, food chain, let me be,
Unchain my heart, baby let me be
Cause you don’t care, help me, set me free….”
I can feel LIttle Lizzy singing along.
Do you think they’ll check us in to the same ward??????
I hope so.
We will have so much fun!
And we will pep the place up to no end!
<3
LOL!!! Not sure which ward is which, but I’ll lead an escape and meet you at the most center point art gallery.
No doubt we will have an electrical banana time! <3
Laughing…..
Big -Bob dose look a bit out of place but he seem to being liking it pretty well 🙂 Nice set Cindy!
He was a tad tentative which is hard to be when you are as big as Bob!
It’s amazingly well shot pics!! Loved the deep clarity! You take really nice pics!! And the story you spun around these was 👍!! Sad about lizzie though! Food chain!!
Thank you for such such thoughtful and considerate comments. They are much appreciated, and so are you! Have a wonderful week~
I love this, Cindy! Your story is terrific and so are the photos. Welcome home!
Thank you Patti and I am very happy you enjoyed! Hope you have a excellent week my friend <3
You too, Cindy. Have many photo moments. 🙂
I will try, and thank so very much for wanting me too.
alles Gute für die Woche wünsche ich dir, Klaus
wunderschön, liebe Cindy, alles Gute für die Woche, Klaus
Danke mein lieber Freund Klaus und ich hoffe du hast auch eine schöne Woche, mein Freund!
wow, Big Bob is big these are amazing pics. xxx
Thank you very much much and yes he was not only a big boy, he had a very big appetite too!
lol he is amazing.
<3
Your photos fill me with delight. Thank you.
Your comment did the same for me. Thank you too!
Cindy, these are great. They must provide ongoing entertainment and smiles.
Thank you Sally! The spring migration is officially on at The Holler. The hummers are here in large numbers now and both The Orchard and Hooded Orioles have arrived. This is the best time of year here!!
I love your place and the beautiful, and hungry birds you have stalking around.
It is best now that spring is on it’s way. The orioles and the hummers are starting to arrive in numbers now! Do you have another blog that I am somehow missing?
I have a new blog retiredfromgypsylife.wordpress.com that I has been going since approx January this year. It is mainly about my life back home.
I will head over to it now.
Look forward to your visit
I found it and do not understand why your new blog isn’t showing in my reader since I follow both your blogs.
WP can sometimes be quite frustrating hope you can sort it out ok
I have given up on frustration! 😉 😉
☹️
Pingback: Johor Bahru – Across the Straights – Sarkology Travels
Big Bob is a beautiful egret. Our last house was on a lake and we had a family of egrets in residence. It was fascinating to watch the stealth with which they captured their dinner.
Yes! They move in slow-mo. I have a blogger friend who feeds them from his kitchen. I probably wouldn’t do this unless they were injured.
I’ve never seen a bird like Big Bob, great photo’s Cindy.
He definitely commanded my full attention when he high stepped by my window! Hope all is well with you Charlotte <3
Amazing that you caught all this with your camera Cindy! Was he right there by your door?? Crazy!
He was and he let me follow him too, for a little while at least!
Wow, very nice pictures catching.
Glad you enjoyed & thank you for taking the time to tell me! Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you, Cindy. You too…
Love to you.
Your photos are AMAZING!
So are you.
Hilarious Cindy!
Life is such <3
Great storyline Cindy. How tall is Big Bob? Oh, and I love this bit: “He belongs at the lake, but this is one of the many things I love about birds, they don’t follow human directions, and they pay no attention to where ornithologists say they should be.” We can learn a great deal from the animal kingdom.
Thank you Steph. We certainly could learn oodles from animals, but first we would have to admit this! Great Egrets stand up to a meter tall. They are big birds!
Wow that is tall. The first time I heard of an Egret was in doing crossword puzzles about a gazillion years ago. I picked up so many little tidbits from these brain teasers.
I bet you do. People who do crosswords are smart.
Great and interesting pictures but the question is……. where do you find these freaking birds?
You travel alot, and the other question, can I go with you in one of your travels? I promise I won’t compromise things, I just sit dow with a bear and a cigarette and take selfies with them.
love ya, had been time since I didn’t saw nature through your blog
I think you would get along really well with the bears and it would be awesome to have you along! Cheers to you & hope you are doing well my friend~
So now you want a bear to eat me…….
He won’t eat you unless you pick an argument with him, which I definitely would advise against since bears are adept at nipping arguments in the bud!
What you talking about……. I’m worst than a bear, I’ a tiger!
🐯🐯🐯!
Visit My website to learn more about owls, http://www.owlsuniverse.wordpress.com
Welcome! I love birders, and mathematicians too. I am married to one, a mathematician that is…..
Love this post!! Looking forward to reading and viewing more on your blog!
Lovely to meet a fellow birder!
Same here!
<3
Coucou du matin ou du soir CINDY
Regardant L’heure
J’ai traversé toute la ville
pour aller à la boulangerie chercher des croissants
Et les partager avec toi avec un petit café
https://s18.postimg.org/eo2wehdft/caf.jpg
Et sur tes joues te dire bonjour ou bonsoir
mon Amie (i) si précieux
A la fraîcheur du matin
J’ai entendu le chant des oiseaux
J’ai vu le soleil qui se lever
je t’envoie un grand bonjour plus chaud que le soleil ,
plus clair que la lune, plus beau que le jour
A la fraicheur de la nuit je me suis dis que tu étais encore la ALORS
Qu’il fais bon te dire et te souhaiter une bonne journée ou soirée
gros bisous.
https://s31.postimg.org/69r6p0tgr/c5b0b7e3.gif
Bernard
Merci beaucoup mon ami Bernard et passez une merveilleuse semaine!