Personalized Gifts

By far, Columbian Ground Squirrels are the most entertaining wildlife at Manning Park, and the first ones to greet us in the parking lot of Manning Park Resort. These Prairie Dogs of the West were positioned near their network of holes in the ground (or in rotted tree stumps) and often calling in an upright position like meerkats or groundhogs (when they weren't chasing each other around or kissing). We found plenty at Manning Park Resort and Lightning Lake (particularly near the picnic tables). Columbian Ground Squirrels spend the short summer bulking up on fat reserves for their hibernation period, which lasts for seven months!

A Twitchy-Nosed Columbian Ground Squirrel

This is my second visit to Surrey's Elgin Heritage Park, and I really wished to see a Golden-Crowned Kinglet again, my first photos of it on a deciduous tree being nothing but blurs. My wish was granted with one of several accomplished singers in a giant fir tree, a high-energy, multi-tasking (being able to sing, and flit from branch to branch while hunting for insects) Golden-Crowned Kinglet, who nevertheless proved to be a challenging subject to capture.

Cute Kinglet Songbird Causes Stir in the Fir

This is how birders get together to do lunch!

Seafood dining at its best! One of five Black Oystercatchers we spotted on a windy, cloudy day at the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty over the Great Backyard Bird Count 2017 (Feb 17-20) weekend. The fishing (clamming?) was good ... these shorebirds were hauling in clam after clam after clam!

This photo was the 1st Place Winner in the Behavior Category of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's 2017 Great Backyard Bird Count Photo Contest (see this Bird Canada article here https://birdcanada.com/are-you-in-the-gbbc)

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

Stunning Black Oystercatcher Shorebird with Clam

An adult Bald Eagle flies into the sunset at the Wireless 40 Station in Ladner, British Columbia. We saw 40-50 Bald Eagles (a conservative estimate) of various ages in this area in late December 2016--most were roosting high in the tops of trees scattered through this dog park. Features inspirational quote "may dreams give you wings to soar new skies".

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

Inspirational Bald Eagle in Winter Sunset Flight

Coyly flashing the photographer an enigmatic Mona Lisa smile while looking the supreme picture of calm and serenity, this Peking Duck (one of three escapees) preens its snow white feathers leisurely on the waters of a very busy Burnaby Lake/Piper Spit in late January 2019.

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

Peking Duck Smiling a Mona Lisa Smile in the Sun

The humble but prolific anise hyssop (hummingbird mint) is the flower of choice for hummingbirds, and the ease with which these small fragrant pink (or red or orange) flowers grow makes them popular with honeybees, bumblebees, and many other insects too. Taken earlier in the summer of 2016, when an abundance of visiting Rufous hummingbirds meant more feeding opportunities for these little red birds (and more contenders for the resident Anna's hummingbirds meant more opportunities to photograph the feisty  little migrants and challengers).

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

Rufous Hummingbird Feeding on the Anise Hyssop

Being an escapee from an Oregon farm did not diminish the appeal of this adult male Mandarin Duck, whose flight to freedom was rewarded with a constant supply of bird seed and the company of Wood Ducks at Piper Spit. I was gifted with the privilege of his metamorphosis over many agonizingly slow months, as I watched him exchange his post-breeding plumage for the magnificent feathers and stunning color palette that make him a dream to photograph (and a hit with the females of his kind). Mother Nature left nothing to the artist's imagination when she made this creature! Photographed at Burnaby Lake in mid-October 2018.

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

Beautiful Mandarin Duck in the Pond

A most enchanting discovery in the California Lilac on the front lawn in mid-April 2017-- a young female Rufous Hummingbird, guarding "her" nectar feeder and gaining some protection from this large, cage-like bush. These migratory hummingbirds spend their spring and summer "vacation" in the Pacific Northwest, and, although smaller than the resident Anna's hummingbirds, are far feistier, often chasing the latter out of their territories for the duration of their five-month stay in the Northern Hemisphere.

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

Rufous Hummingbird Sitting in the California Lilac

Bonaparte's Gull at the Beach Flask

Bonaparte's Gull at the Beach Classic Round Sticker

Stunning Bonaparte's Gull Seabird at the Beach Coaster

Bonaparte's Gull at the Beach Trinket Tray

Bonaparte's Gull at the Beach Wall Sticker

My first encounter with the dapper little Bonaparte's Gull in breeding plumage. It's always nice to see birds in their breeding plumage, and this was a much-anticipated moment for me with this small shorebird. This was the lone member of its species at Boundary Bay Regional Park on Global Big Day 2016!

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

WWN Bonaparte's Gull at the Beach

Add a touch of nature to festive year-end celebrations with this whimsical, wildlife-themed Christmas stocking. Personalize with a name or meme. Reverse (for double-sided option) shows identical design. Great for the bird or nature lover on your gift list!

A perfect start to an early winter morning: a male Red-Shafted Northern Flicker roots around in the (still frost-free) grasses of the front lawn for tasty grubs and worms. After 15 minutes of "grazing", North America's second-largest woodpecker was still there, so I decided to photograph him lounging in the grass. I knew I was going to only get one shot with my subject looking over his shoulder and flashing that bright red mustache once the front door squeaked open (if even that), so it was to my great surprise that I ended up with five shots, and this was the best of the bunch.

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

Stunning Red-Shafted Northern Flicker Woodpecker Large Christmas Stocking

Add a touch of nature and spring to the bathroom with this towel set, which features the sun-dappled leaves of an old-growth forest.

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

Sun-Dappled Leaves in the Forest Bath Towel Set

Say goodbye to boring and get noticed with these double-sided, wildlife-themed business cards! Perfect for promoting wildlife tour and nature expedition businesses. Includes fields for business name, individual name, email address, mailing address, and contact number.

When you're this small and round, even watching you eat is a cute experience! Saw more of the tiny Sanderlings at the Boundary Bay Regional Park beach, just before Valentine's Day 2017. This one was foraging on the shoreline with 20 others of its kind, dining on the remnants of clams that had been already picked apart by gulls. 

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

Sanderling Birdwatching / Nature Tours Business Card

Add a touch of nature and whimsy with your golf game with this wildlife-themed club head cover!

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

Male Anna's Hummingbird on the Plum Tree Golf Head Cover

Stunning Varied Thrush Songbird on Snowy Day Wall Sticker

Stunning Varied Thrush Songbird on Snowy Day Ceramic Knob

Beautiful Varied Thrush on a Snowy Winter's Day Bath Towel Set

Varied Thrush Songbird on Snowy Winter Day Round Pillow

Stunning Varied Thrush Songbird on Snowy Day Ceramic Tile

After sitting outside for an hour and a half as the afternoon snow fell quickly and in fat clumps this afternoon, this beautiful male Varied Thrush finally ventured to the bowl of the seed on the ground. Occasionally, he would look up and gaze in my direction before resuming his meal. After eating his fill (and keeping the other, smaller songbirds at bay), he returned to flipping leaf litter under the thicket. My first time photographing a Varied Thrush in the snow. Taken in early February 2017. 

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

WWN Stunning Varied Thrush in the Driving Snow

Add a touch of nature and elegance to your laptop or computer with this floral-themed mousepad. 

Tulips come in many colours, but these white-and-purple ones really broke the mold. Photographed in one of the flower beds at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park, the site of an extinct volcano. 

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

A Twitchy-Nosed Columbian Ground Squirrel

A Twitchy-Nosed Columbian Ground Squirrel

More from Walks with Nature

Other personalized gifts from various stores