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Here's lookin' at you, kid! My first face-to-face meeting with a curious Barn Swallow at Richmond's historic Scotch Pond, the spring-through-fall choice of nesting sites for these intrepid flyers and insects hunters.

Trading Stares with a Barn Swallow Magnet

Eastern Kingbirds are welcome and familiar sighted during Metro Vancouver summers. Smartly dressed in black and white and sporting a patrician (some might say, an imperious) air about themselves, I can usually find these feathered insectivores roosting on their favorite trees and bushes close to the walking trails at Coquitlam's Colony Farm Regional Park. My subject here took the cake for boldness, hopping from branch to branch and edging closer and closer to my lens. I could not have asked for a better subject!

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

Eastern Kingbird on a Branch Magnet

His expression seems to say "How do you like this psoe?" Those cheek patches make this curious Eastern Rosella look sooo adorable, and when you're this vividly coloured, even mundane tasks like drinking are anything but.

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

A Cheeky Eastern Rosella at the Watering Hole Magnet

A mid-summer walk around Stanley Park's Lost Lagoon yielded the surprise of a raccoon. In fact, this one quietly preceded us, like a tour guide, for a hundred yards, to the cement bridge before joining a haze of other raccoons. S/he even stopped to give me a few angles ... all of which is very unnatural behaviour for a mammal who is more likely to be active at night! 

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

Face to Face with a Raccoon Magnet

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 Shorebird at the Beach Magnet

The very social, curious, and bold Java Finch (also known as the Java Rice Sparrow or Java Rice Bird) hails from Asia. For hundreds of years, it was a very popular choice as a cage bird, and that popularity even extended to the U.S. This one exhibits the wild (normal) colour mutation.

Beautiful Java Finch Songbird Magnet

Handsome Tree Swallow Songbird on a Wire Magnet

Nothing heralds spring like Tree Swallows. These small and very approachable birds amaze me with their astonishing aerial maneuvers and beautiful iridescent blue plumage.

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

WWN Stunning Tree Swallow on the Wire

Celebrate the 100th birthday (or any birthday) of a special someone with this elegant floral-inspired guest book, which features a lovely spray of golden alstroemeria. Customize with name, event, and date. Customize back cover message, or use as is. The perfect choice for nature lovers or those with a green thumb!

This particular cultivar of alstroemeria, or Peruvian lily, grows tall and looks great as flower bed plants. They are hardy, breathtaking perennials that bloom from late spring through early summer.

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

Elegant Lily of the Incas 100th Birthday Guest Book

Use this mandala-inspired trivet to protect delicate surfaces, tables, and countertops from hot pots, or as an accent piece for the dining room or kitchen.

Baby blue eyes wildflowers look as charming and dreamy as they sound. They attract a variety of pollinators, including butterflies and bees, and can also be used as border plants to add lovely cerulean accents to your garden. Photographed in July 2016 in the food garden of the UBC Botanical Gardens.

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

Kaleidoscopic Baby Blue Eyes Spring Flowers Trivet

Add a touch of nature to your tumbler with this floral-themed design!

Isn't she lovely? This female Rufous hummingbird poses calmly for my camera on the old plum tree in the backyard. With the very early arrival (and disappearance) of the males in March and April as they migrate to as far north as Alaska, we have had a veritable dearth of yardbirds. Her continued presence means that life will become much more "interesting" for the resident Anna's (particularly the males). Not coincidentally, we are also seeing more birds in the backyard now.

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

Female Rufous Hummingbird on the Plum Tree Thermal Tumbler

Beautiful Barn Swallow on a Branch Golf Head Cover

Stunning Barn Swallow on a Branch Beer Stein

Stunning Barn Swallow Songbird on a Branch Poker Cards

Beautiful Barn Swallow Trivet

Beautiful Barn Swallow Songbird Label

Perhaps the most cosmopolitan of swallows, Barn Swallows are easily identified in flight, thanks to those copper bellies and iridescent blue feathers. Harder is getting a still of these colourful and active aerialists, but once in a while, they oblige me!

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

WWN Profile of a Stunning Barn Swallow on a Branch

Celebrate nature with these sticky notes, which feature a hardworking visitor to the backyard.

Seeing the smallest woodpecker in North America (usually the female) on the backyard suet feeder isn't unusual. Seeing this male (busy whittling wood here) and his female (unseen, but preening herself nearby) on the pear tree just when we got a spot of sunshine over the Great Backyard Bird Count 2017 (Feb 17-20) weekend, was!

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

Cute Downy Woodpecker on Fruit Tree Post-it Notes

Add a little character to the office -- or office party -- with this wildlife-themed tie.  

The first time I've had the opportunity to shoot a Bewick's Wren out in the open, and at fairly close range. This beautiful long-tailed songbird must have sensed that I wanted to photograph it, and returned my curiosity with its own by posing on this branch for a few moments. Photographed in January 2017.

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

A Curious Bewick's Wren in the Tree Tie

Part brainteaser, part assemble-it-yourself art, this challenging, wildlife-themed puzzle is great for improving muscle memory. Black-Crowned Night Herons enjoy quasi-celebrity status in Metro Vancouver. Normally seen in Alberta and Saskatchewan--the provinces next door--as well as many parts of the U.S.., a small posse, usually composed of 3-4 adults and 1-2 juveniles, spends the fall through winter and early spring seasons perched high (and snoozing) in the trees at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. It is a rare treat to see one close by with its bright red eyes open, because they are more likely to be active at dusk or at night.

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

Profile of a Black-Crowned Night Heron Jigsaw Puzzle

Isn't she lovely? This female Rufous hummingbird poses calmly for my camera on the old plum tree in the backyard. With the very early arrival (and disappearance) of the males in March and April as they migrate to as far north as Alaska, we have had a veritable dearth of yardbirds. Her continued presence means that life will become much more "interesting" for the resident Anna's (particularly the males). Not coincidentally, we are also seeing more birds in the backyard now.

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

Trading Stares with a Barn Swallow Magnet

Trading Stares with a Barn Swallow Magnet

More from Walks with Nature

Other magnets from various stores