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Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this elegant, wildlife-themed serving tray! 

Fall migration brings thousands and thousands of Snow Geese to the shores of Metro Vancouver every year, and 2017 produced a bumper crop of these migratory birds -- a stunning spectacle to witness. Among the vibrant and calling sea of white that seemed to blanket the high tides from dawn to dusk, outnumbering the usually omnipresent and overwhelming numbers of gulls, crows, and wintering ducks at this time of the year, we also saw 5 rare blue morph Snow Geese. Photographed on a sunny afternoon in October 2017 at Boundary Bay Regional Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

A Flock of Snow Geese at the Beach Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this stunning, wildlife-themed serving tray, which features my first encounter with American Avocets at Boundary Bay Regional Park in beautiful Tsawwassen, British Columbia. These elegant wading birds are rarely found in Canada's westernmost province, so to discover two adults spending a week there (two more joined them a week later) during the early stages of fall migration, enjoying the local amenities and completely at ease with the photographer in their midst, was a real treat. Photographed in early September 2022.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning American Avocets Birds on the Beach Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this wildlife-themed serving tray! 

It's hard not to be amazed by such beauty! I am so used to seeing Dunlins in flocks of hundreds and thousands in their non-breeding/winter plumage, that to encounter a solitary member of this sandpiper species is a bit puzzling. S/he was in full breeding regalia, and in no particular hurry to fly north for the summer. 

We almost missed seeing this peep--so intent on photographing the 20 Greater Scaups much further out from shore--that it was many moments before I realized that this Dunlin was quite calmly "pacing" us some 6-8 feet away on the shoreline!

Being in such close proximity to this beauty enabled me to get a good look at that black belly patch and the wonderful russet brown feathers on its head and back!

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Beautiful Dunlin Sandpiper at the Spring Beach Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this wildlife-themed serving tray! 

My first encounter with the Marsh Wren, who was charming me with an enchanting and complex aria at the local wildlife refuge. These little birds are heard much, much more often than they are seen. Ever since then, 99% of the wrens I have seen are Marsh Wrens!!

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Profile of a Beautiful Marsh Wren Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this wildlife-themed serving tray! 

Our resident adult male Anna's hummingbird has never let me photograph him at close range, but on one evening in late May 2016, he came to sit on one of the old plum tree branches, just a few feet away from me. 

Perhaps, after seeing how comfortable the four visiting Rufous hummingbirds were around me, he probably figured that there wasn't anything scary about me -- and that I might even afford him some protection from the little hellraisers. So rather than being on the receiving end of his metallic scratchy or tick-tick-tick calls, he stared for a few moments into my lens, and then went to feed from the nectar feeder before making a much less frenzied exit than was his usual style.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning Male Anna's Hummingbird on the Plum Tree Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this wildlife-themed serving tray! 

This juvenile Bald Eagle came within 20 feet of me as it flew over my head during my walk through the local wildlife habitat on an early spring day in 2017. We locked eyes briefly (neither really daunted by the presence of the other), and then it continued to wing its way to a copse of dead trees where several others of its kind were roosting.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning Bald Eagle Does a Flyover Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this wildlife-themed serving tray! The golfers on the fairway clearly didn't disturb this Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, who was busy munching away on the delicious and well-manicured greens. This one paused to mug for my camera, and then went right back to chewing on its verdant comestibles, unfazed by the attention.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Cute Bunny Chewing Greens on the Golf Fairway Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this floral-themed serving tray! 

Mid-summer is the time of the season for lilies, and these delightfully fragrant white Casablanca Oriental lilies amazed me with their large size, abundance, and delicate beauty. Photographed in early August 2017 at a private garden.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Elegant Casablanca White Oriental Lilies Serving Tray

Add a touch of nature to any room with this wildlife-themed clock! Customize with or without numbers, and choose from round or square designs. Perfect for bird lovers!

Rufous Hummingbirds have usually left Metro Vancouver for Mexico by mid August, so it was a delight to see and photograph this exceedingly feisty straggler in the backyard. This little scrapper has been (successfully, for the past two days) giving grief to the juvenile male Anna's hummingbird who has owned the backyard for most of the summer (as well as the other feathered friends who visit), vigorously defending every flower and feeder in sight. This hybrid fruit tree branch has become its favorite perch, and gave me quite a few photographic opportunities. Photographed on September 4, 2016.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning Rufous Hummingbird on Fruit Tree Clock

This stunning wildlife design features a Spotted Towhee posing on a snow powdered branch in the backyard.

Design © W.H. Sim, All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning Spotted Towhee Songbird on Snowy Branch Adult Cloth Face Mask

Cute Kinglet Songbird Causes a Stir in the Fir Metal Ornament

Cute Kinglet Songbird Causes Stir in the Fir Magnet

Cute Little Kinglet Causes a Stir in the Fir Magnet

Cute Kinglet Songbird Causes Stir in the Fir Keychain

Cute Kinglet Songbird Causes Stir in the Fir Trivet

Cute Little Kinglet Causes a Stir in the Fir Mug

Add a touch of nature to the kitchen or dining room with this whimsical, wildlife-themed sandstone coaster. 

During my second visit to Surrey's Elgin Heritage Park, my wish to see a Golden-Crowned Kinglet again was granted with the appearance of one of several accomplished singers in a giant fir tree. A diminutive but high-energy and multi-tasking bundle of energy--being able to sing, and flit from branch to branch while hunting for insects--the Golden-Crowned Kinglet nevertheless proved to be a challenging subject to capture. 

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

WWN Golden-Crowned Kinglet Causes a Stir in the Fir (II)

Beautiful Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at the Beach Postcard

Profile of a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at the Beach Canvas Print

Profile of a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at the Beach

Profile of a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at the Beach Tote Bag

Profile of a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at the Beach Classic Round Sticker

An unusual bird to see in Metro Vancouver during the fall migratory bird season, this Buff-Breasted Sandpiper was one of two I had the opportunity to photograph up close, and one of five spotted here in 2016. Like the Sanderling, the BBSA is exceedingly comfortable around humans. 

The BBSA is special for another reason: fewer than 80,000 individuals are estimated worldwide (per data from migration sites and its allaboutbirds.org/guide/Buff-breasted_Sandpiper/id profile; actual figures are difficult to obtain, as it does not always exhibit nest fidelity), making it a Near Threatened species. Its dainty, dove-like head, short bill, and buff coloration make it one of the easier peeps to identify. It is a transcontinental bird, flying northwards to breed in the arctic, and wintering in South America.

Rather comically, this one spent some time chasing the other one off. Apparently, it wanted the attention of the photographers all to itself! When it wasn't hogging the limelight, it made sure every lens was trained on it -- regardless of what it was doing -- foraging, resting on the grass, or grooming its feathers. Photographed in late August 2016.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

WWN Buff-Breasted Sandpiper at Low Tide

Part brainteaser, part assemble-it-yourself art, this challenging and elegant wildlife-themed puzzle is great for improving muscle memory.

A presumed hobby farm escapee, this adult male Mandarin Duck has been seen in the company of the Wood Ducks of Piper Spit. He has called Burnaby Lake home since he was first spotted in 2018. His stunning pastiche of ruffs, dazzling color palette, and "fins" make him such a dreamboat to photograph. Mother Nature left nothing to the artist's imagination when she made this creature! Photographed at Burnaby Lake in early March 2020.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Beautiful Mandarin Duck on the Rocks Jigsaw Puzzle

Nothing says "you complete me" or "your better/other half" than these whimsical, wildlife-themed lovers' mugs. Eclectus Parrots are an instant hit, wherever you see them. While the males are (understandably, and expectedly), brightly coloured, with green plumage and candy-corn yellow beak, the females are just as colourful, with their striking red and cobalt blue feathers.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Eclectus Parrots Coffee Mug Set

A Pair of Wading Greater Sandhill Cranes

A pair of Sandhill Cranes wades through the shallow waters of the local wildlife refuge on a cloudy mid-winter's day. These are the largest birds that can be seen in Metro Vancouver all year round, more often on the ground, but occasionally in the air, too. As wild (and large) as they are, the ones who frequent the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary will consent to being handfed, and indeed, sometimes demand disbursement of birdseed this way!

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

A Flock of Snow Geese at the Beach Serving Tray

A Flock of Snow Geese at the Beach Serving Tray

More from Walks with Nature

Other serving trays from various stores