Personalized Gifts

A number of these large butterflies were flying through the Boundary Bay Wildlife Management Area during our early evening visit, but this one was "kind" enough to grant us an impromptu studio session for a few minutes while it fluttered and fed from the local flora.

Beautiful Anise Swallowtail Butterfly in the Sun

This male Downy Woodpecker announced himself quite vocally with a trademark chip-chip-chip repertoire just before making an appearance on this dead tree. He proceeded to peck away at his perch, oblivious of the solitary camera lens trained on him and the many walkers on the trail.

Cute Downy Woodpecker on the Tree

They're not juniper berries, but this bird--which is rarely seen here in the Metro Vancouver area--clearly isn't finicky when it comes to winter fruits. This Townsend's Solitaire (another bird for my life list) materialized on our front lawn pyracantha bush on December 9, 2015, but it required two more visits more a week later to finally get proof of this handsome thrush.

Townsend's Solitaire on the Pyracantha

Sanderlings are tiny -- and surprisingly, quite approachable -- migratory shorebirds which can be easily found on Vancouver beaches in the coldest winter months. This one was strolling quite leisurely on the shoreline. Photographed on a very sunny and busy winter afternoon at Boundary Bay Regional Park.

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

Sanderling Wades Through Wintry Waters

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!

Funny Cute Saucy Columbian Ground Squirrel

Last year, I was fortunate enough to encounter the female Yellow-Headed Blackbird at Manning Park. This year, I saw not one of these rare visitors to Metro Vancouver, but three adult male Yellow-Headed Blackbirds (and at least one female)--the former calling attention to themselves with their golden heads and breasts, less-than-melodious birdcalls, and frequent sparring matches with the more familiar Red-Winged Blackbird males in the marshes of Iona Island.

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

Striking Yellow-Headed Blackbird in the Marsh

Living in a place where the colors change as the seasons each have moments in time to express themselves is always something wondrous to witness. Clockwise from top left: winterberries (Fall), rudbeckias (Summer), sun-dappled green leaves in the forest (Spring), and dusty miller (Winter).

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

Colors of the Changing Seasons Quadriptych

Fresh from their swim in one of the local wildlife refuge ponds, a pair of young Canada Goose goslings plays around in the grass under the watchful eyes of its protective parents.

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

A Pair of Playful Canada Goose Goslings

Give special items and keepsakes pride of place with this elegant, wildlife-themed trinket tray. 

This adult male Hairy Woodpecker was noisily deconstructing trees at the North 40 Park Reserve and showing off his gravity-defying moves to a(n) (unseen) convocation of Bald Eagles as spectators. Photographed in South Delta, BC, Canada, on the last day of the 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count.

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

Hairy Woodpecker Working the Wood Trinket Tray

Add a touch of nature to your travels with this floral-themed luggage tag! 

Looking very much like sunflowers--no surprise, since they belong to the same family--Rudbeckias are some of my favourite summertime flowers, especially when they bloom en masse.

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

Rudbeckias / A Bed of Black-Eyed Susans Luggage Tag

The African Superb Starling is such a beautiful rainbow of colours. When it makes an entrance, it really makes an entrance; it's no shrinking violet. Rare, though, is the moment when it stays still long enough to get a photo of it, but got it I did, as it waited for its turn to bathe in the waterfall.

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

A Stunning African Superb Starling Photo Print

Fall and winter bring great numbers of Dark-Eyed Juncos to Metro Vancouver--and these colorful sparrows are second in number only to the diminutive Bushtits for the most commonly seen songbirds in our yard during these times of the year. This lovely female was quite aware that the camera was trained on her, and made an extra effort to give me her best pose.

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

Dark-Eyed Junco on a Limb

Add a touch of nature and elegance to the bathroom with this wildlife-themed towel set.

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

Stunning Flock of Snow Geese at the Beach Bath Towel Set

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

A male Tree Swallow quietly sits in the afternoon sun on a tree branch at at Iona Island, showing off his lovely iridescent blue feathers. Photographed in late May 2016.

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

Stunning Tree Swallow Songbird on a Branch Jigsaw Puzzle

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

Beautiful Anise Swallowtail Butterfly in the Sun

Beautiful Anise Swallowtail Butterfly in the Sun

More from Walks with Nature

Other personalized gifts from various stores