Personalized Gifts

My second sighting of Mallard mom with ten young ducklings at the local pond. These ducklings couldn't be more than a few days old, and already they were swimming and floating like little corks under the watchful eye of Mother Mallard (who was anything but a Mother Hen).

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

Mom Extraordinaire: One Prolific Mallard Hen

The perfect notecards for hummingbird lovers! This female Anna's hummingbird adds a bit of colour and personality to the backyard on a rainy day. She is quiet and stealthy--and can often materialize without making a sound. Contrast this behaviour with that of the male, who makes himself heard well before I see him. Photographed perching on the Scarlet Trumpet vine after furtively having several long sips from the new nectar feeder--which has also drawn the attention and interest of at least one Black-Capped Chickadee, too.

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

Anna's Hummingbird on the Scarlet Trumpetvine

Green-Winged Teals are starting to mass in greater numbers at Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake, as winter passes its halfway point. A number of these small dabbling ducks are also starting to engage in springtime courtship behaviours. This drake was particularly vocal, and gave me a good angle of himself in the process.

A Chatty Green-Winged Teal Duck at the Pond

This pose is the cat's meow! This neighbourhood cat has been very neighbourly since summer 2014 ... visiting regularly for her dose of birdwatching, cuddles, and saucer of milk. Here she is, posing next to the camellia leaves on a wet and gloomy day.

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

Whimsical The Cat and the Camellia

Looking deceptively like a baby duck, this full grown Bufflehead hen struck the perfect pose for me at one of the inner ponds at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Curious "sentries" like this one will often detach themselves from the flock to satisfy their curiosity about those lenses pointed in their direction. I really doubt it's for the birdseed, unless we have discovered one with a sudden taste for them. :)  There was just enough afternoon sunlight left to reflect the blue skies in the waters, paint a catchlight in this Bufflehead's eyes, and cast a soft glow on her face.  With fall giving way to winter in just another week, we are seeing more and more of these tiny diving seaducks -- but always in small groups that tend to stay in waters far, far from human view. Though not skittish like Hooded Mergansers tend to be, I have yet to see a single Bufflehead set a webbed toe on land.

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

Cute Bufflehead Duck on Sunlit Waters

The newest faces at the local wildlife habitat--namely, week old Canada Goose goslings--were parading their absolute adorability for the human visitors to oooh and aww over.

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

Cuteness on Parade: Canada Goose Goslings

Cute Chestnut-Backed Chickadee Christmas Holiday

Cute Chestnut-Backed Chickadee Songbird

Wildlife and the magic of the holiday season go hand in hand, and finding this cute little songbird--a familiar sight in the Pacific Northwest--perched in one of the backyard fruit trees, proved irresistible. 

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

WWN Cute Chestnut-Backed Chickadee on the Pear Tree

Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree Ceramic Tile

Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree Bath Towel Set

Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree Drawstring Bag

Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree Glass Coaster

Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree Tie

My closest encounter with a magnificent male Pileated Woodpecker, who was busy carving out a hole in a very tall tree. Rather than be spooked by the presence of a photographer nearby, this largest of North American woodpeckers would stop briefly to see who was rustling the dead leaves on the forest floor, and then resume his woodworking activities. Photographed on Galiano Island in the early evening of July 3, 2017.

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

WWN Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker on the Tree

Beautiful Varied Thrush Songbird in the Snow Wall Decal

On a very memorable Boxing Day 2017, a dozen of these enchanting but highly reclusive songbirds were frequenting the trees and vocalizing near the Burnaby Lake Nature House at Piper Spit. None seemed particularly concerned about the presence of photographers, and I daresay some of the subjects even worked the cameras with their pretty poses!

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

WWN Beautiful Varied Thrush on the Snowy Ground

Sanderlings Takes Flight in the Winter Skies  Tie

Sanderlings Take Flight in the Winter Skies Flask

Sanderlings Take Flight in the Winter Skies Thermal Tumbler

Sanderlings Take Flight in the Winter Skies Hanging Lamp

After getting used to the presence of a photographer in their midst, an entire flock of 100+ Sanderlings suddenly decided to take to the skies, and circle the shore just above the water several times. 

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

WWN Sanderlings Take Flight in Winter Skies

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

A Black Swan preens itself in the pond during the height of a summer afternoon. Photographed in mid-September 2014.

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

Black Swan in the Pond Serving Tray

Add a little character and whimsy to the office -- or office party -- with this wildlife-themed tie.  A hopeful Hooded Merganser drake puts in a surprise appearance in one of our newer local ponds. This one is warming up his vocal chops in hopes of impressing the two hens in his small flock. Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Singer in the Making: Hooded Merganser Neck Tie

Add a touch of nature and elegance to the kitchen and dining room with this forest-themed serving tray!

My mid-morning stroll through an old-growth forest in mid-June 2016 led me to one of those simple, yet breathtaking wonders of nature: the sight of sun-dappled shadows painted on the leaves of trees that have existed centuries before my time. The interplay of dark and light has always fascinated me.

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

Sun-Dappled Leaves in the Forest Serving Tray

A stunning medley of primulas, these bicolor, early spring blooming beauties beckoned me with their dazzlingly vivid palettes of reds, pinks, purples, and yellows. 

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

Colorful Springtime Floral Medley of Primulas Postcard

Add a touch of nature to the living room, bedroom, or any room in your home with this whimsical, wildlife-themed throw, which features a bird's eye view of a stunning male intergrade (hybrid) Northern Flicker woodpecker curiously eyeing the paparazzi above him. Photographed in mid-October 2020.

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

Mom Extraordinaire: One Prolific Mallard Hen

Mom Extraordinaire: One Prolific Mallard Hen

More from Walks with Nature

Other personalized gifts from various stores