Wedding Invitations and More

Lately I've been designing wedding invitations (and one birthday invitation so far) for my Zazzle shop. Today Zazzle just happens to be having a 50% off sale on invitations so I thought I'd pass this along to you. Just type in the code HONORTAGRADS at checkout to receive a half-price discount on your invites.

Here are the invitations I've recently designed. You can easily personalize the information by clicking the "Customize" button.

  Hummingbird Party Invitations

Forget Me Nots Flower Invitations

Daisies Wedding Invitations

Garden Wedding Invitations with Forget-Me-Nots Flowers

  Heart Flowers Wedding Invitations

White Orchid Wedding Invitations

White Flowers Photo Wedding Invitations

Hearts Wedding Invitations

Remember, the 50% off sale is for today only (May 13th). But check back often as I'm always adding new photographs and products and Zazzle has lots of sales throughout the year.

bleeding hearts art
forget me nots art

The Hummingbirds Are Back!

We have two kinds of hummingbirds here on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. The Anna's hummingbird stays for the winter but the rufous hummer winters in Mexico and returns mid-March to April. I rarely see the Anna's but we've had some busy little rufous hummingbirds buzzing around here for weeks now.

Rufous hummingbirds seem to be particularly territorial and will often do their best to keep other hummers from using "their" feeder. You can hear the angry buzz of the male rufous's wings (but interestingly, you don't really hear the female's wings), and if he's particularly upset with you he'll tell you off with a "chee chee chee chee" sound. The males are also experts at dive-bombing when they're really ticked off...they fly very high then hurtle downwards, of course topping it off with a "chee chee chee chee!"

The wild red-flowering currant bushes bloom in April and the hummingbirds really love the nectar, so I've been practising getting some shots of the birds around the pink flowers.

Rufous Hummingbird and Red-Flowering Currant Bush

Hummingbird Sitting with Pink Flowers

If you click on either of the pictures or links above you'll be taken to my Zazzle shop, Fun Nature Photography, where you can customize that particular photograph and have it printed on dozens of different products. But I thought I'd show you another hummingbird photo that I took where it's already printed on a product, in this case, a mousepad.

 Hummingbird Mousepad

This colorful hummingbird photo is also available on many other products in my online shop.

I've been looking around for a rufous hummingbird nest but haven't had any luck so far. They're very small and hard to spot but I keep trying!

hummingbirds art
rufous hummingbirds art

Mother and Baby Chickadees

Last fall my mom turned 80 and I went back east to help her celebrate at a family get-together. Last month I turned 57 and found that I could hardly believe it. Fifty-seven...me??? How did that happen? In my mind I'm still in my 30's. Anyway, my mom and I have been discussing this age thing lately and we both agree that it kinda sucks. But what's the alternative? So I'm working on aging gracefully. We'll see how that goes.

With Mother's Day coming up in less than two weeks, I've been thinking about the role of mothers a lot lately too. I never had kids myself but I really marvel at the energy it takes to parent. I've been remembering last year's chestnut-backed chickadee family that visited my feeders. The mother chickadee was one of many who would take a peanut from my hand. I could tell this particular chickadee from the others because she had a bad leg with a foot that was slightly shrivelled.

Let me tell you, that mother chickadee worked her tail feathers off supplying her babies with food. She was constantly on the job feeding them and they seemed to be hungry every minute of the day. Once in awhile she'd grab a peanut from me and I could almost feel her exasperation as she flew to a nearby branch to be alone for a quick moment while she hurriedly enjoyed her treat. I felt really sorry for her. The demands of motherhood seemed especially tough for her. O.K., I know I'm given to anthropomorphizing but really...she looked plumb worn-out after a couple of weeks of raising her babies with their always-open mouths demanding to be fed.

Mother and Baby Chickadees

Mother Chestnut-Backed Chickadee Feeding Baby

All of mom's time was taken up with her offspring for three or four weeks. The little ones ran her ragged and seemed ungrateful at best. And then it was over. Once the baby chickadees were raised, the mother chickadee disappeared, never to be seen again.

I couldn't help but wonder...did her babies do her in? Was the experience of motherhood so difficult that she didn't survive it? I don't know if it's possible but I think maybe it is. She'd been a constant visitor beforehand and now she was gone.

My experience with the mother chickadee was repeated shortly afterwards with a red-breasted nuthatch. Nuthatches aren't normally as brave as chickadees, but this one would take peanuts from my hand. But then she had a family and she also disappeared. Hmmm...


I still miss both of my feathered friends very much and remember them often. I wonder if the babies that were born from either of these broods will be raising their own young ones around our place this spring.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, of course, appreciate your mother while you still have time! The years go by so quickly...
chickadees art

Hummingbird in a Rain Shower

Yes, April showers bring May flowers...

 Daffodils in Spring

But did you know that hummingbirds take showers when it rains? They don't take baths like other birds do. They like to fly through spraying water to get clean. I've actually sprayed our water hose high into the air a few times in the heat of summer so that a hummingbird could take a shower...they seem to love it!

Last March our Rufous hummingbirds returned to the Sunshine Coast here in British Columbia after migrating from Mexico, where they spend the winter. After quite a mild winter, our spring has been pretty chilly so I felt sorry for the little guys. But here's a picture I took of a male rufous hummer enjoying a spring shower in the setting sun, sitting on a branch of our oceanspray bush. He looks content, doesn't he?

Rufous Hummingbird in Rain Shower

Just to let you know, Zazzle is having a 15% off sale on all products in honor of Mother's Day. The sale ends on Wednesday, May 1st. Just enter the code MAKEHERSMILE when you're checking out.

I'm a Sorry Squirrel!

Dear Blog Readers,

I'm sorry I ignored you for so long! Life just gets away from me sometimes. I really didn't mean to turn my back on you.

 Don't Be Mad, I'm Sorry!

I shoot so many pictures, sometimes it's hard to keep up. Spring is an especially busy time. But I'll try to do better from now on, I promise!



squirrel art

Steller Sea Lions on Vancouver Island

We took a trip to Vancouver Island last week and spent a couple of days in the Comox/Courtenay area, which is our favorite spot (so far!) on the island. We've camped there many times the past couple of years but this time we stayed overnight in a motel with our two dogs. The dogs were on their best behavior, so it all worked out quite well.

I've never seen a sea lion before so it was amazing to discover about 20 of them lazing around on a dock and the side of a boat next to an oyster processor close to Fanny Bay, south of Courtenay. We almost drove right past them but my eagle-eyed husband spotted them in the distance. We walked down a ramp and were very close to them. I never realized how big they are and what a racket they make! They bark almost constantly.

Steller Sea Lions

Those two sea lions in the centre really amused me...they'd be sleeping nose to nose then suddenly one or sometimes both would rise up and start barking in the other's face.

The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is a near-threatened species of sea lion from the northern Pacific. It's the largest of the eared seals and is smaller only than the walrus and elephant seals. Their species has unfortunately suffered significant and unexplainted declines in population over a large part of their range in Alaska in recent decades.

On average, male sea lions grow to just under 10 feet, and weigh about 1,200 pounds. Females average under 8 feet in length and weigh about 600 pounds. You can see the difference between a male and female Steller sea lion in the photo below.

Male and Female Sea Lions

I'll be posting more about our trip to Vancouver Island very soon but I wanted to share the sea lions with you first!

The Cherry Blossoms Are Coming

We've had a very mild winter so far, although we're going through a bit of a cold snap as of last night. I've been noticing the fruit trees are starting to bloom along the coast where I live...beautiful pink blossoms are starting to peek out from almost naked branches. The crocuses are getting braver and showing their tiny purple selves, even in our shady yard. So make no mistake about it, spring is coming yet again!

I think springtime is my favorite time of year. It's certainly a busy time for nature photographers, with all the baby birds and other animals being born. I'm hoping to have a new batch of baby chickadees visiting my feeders this spring.

For now, I leave you with a picture of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, taken last year. I can't wait to see this sight again!

 

Cherry Blossoms in Spring

cherry blossoms art