This site was acquired by the Nature Conservancy in 2005 and hasn't amassed very many ebird checklists thus far. The reason being is that the site is embedded in the Chattahoochee National Forest that sports other nearby birding destinations that are more agreeable to visiting birders. In contrast, the Holly Creek Preserve is more rugged with no true public trail. The site isn't a recreational area. Its main purpose is to preserve key tributaries in the Conasauga River watershed. Therefore, birding on this property can be challenging. The forest understory can be thick, the ridges are steep and there are very few access points. Most visitors are here for research purposes.  

A short portion of the southern property boundary borders the Old CCC Camp Rd. From this roadside, the preserve can be investigated. The land cover here is an upland hardwood forest. Expect to find forest-dwelling birds here with some riparian species due to Holly Creek being nearby. 

Spring and Fall migration are probably the best seasons, though the summer can produce a nice list of neotropical breeders. Winter can be terribly slow for birds. 

Swainson's Warblers have been known to summer on this property. 

There’s no denying Holly Creek Preserve’s forested beauty with its steep slopes, ridges, narrow valleys, and rock outcrops. Hikers and mountain bikers have enjoyed this area of the Cohutta Mountains for years on Tibbs Trail which runs through the preserve on its way to Grassy Mountain on U.S. Forest Service land. But what makes the preserve special is its frontage on two important mountain streams, Holly Creek and Dill Creek.

Acquired by the Conservancy in 2005, the 250-acre preserve is bordered on three sides by the Chattahoochee National Forest and provides a crucial buffer for both Holly and Dill Creek as their water flows through the mountains and empties into the Conasauga River. It is these mountain streams that are a stronghold for diverse and rare aquatic species whose health, in turn, affects the Conasauga.

The preserve is located in Murray County in the extreme northwest section of the state, less than two hours from Atlanta and one hour from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Nature Conservancy works with Murray County as well as a host of other federal and state agencies and volunteers on maintenance and management efforts. Chief among these is to improve water quality in Holly and Dill creeks by repairing spots of degradation caused by roads through the preserve and managing the entire site in the future with prescribed burns to remove invasive species and restore natural plant communities. Volunteers help with litter control along a county-maintained road that borders the preserve.