Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
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secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
@secondnaturemb.bsky.social
24K followers 610 following 8.9K posts
Naturalist, writer, artist, and educator with a Ph.D. in Ecology. I make interpretive signs, illustrations, murals, and books. Sometimes, I chase polar bears and belugas. #scicomm #sciart http://www.discoversecondnature.ca
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secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦 @secondnaturemb.bsky.social · Mar 7
Hi Everyone!
I'm Heather. A lot of new people have joined me in the last 24 hours so I thought I'd answer some frequently-asked questions.

1. Where do you live? - I live in Manitoba, Canada in a provincial park on Lake Winnipeg. It is a wild area of the boreal forest, but not remote. 1/
A white woman wearing glasses, a red toque and a scarf with a green parka smiles at the camera. A snowy forest can be seen behind her. A small cottage sits quietly on a moonlit night in the snowy boreal forest. Smoke rises placidly from the chimney while the windows glow with warm light. It's a cold clear night with lots of snow.
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
nimasprout.bsky.social
Alas no rest for artists trying to make their mortgage payment. 😞

New artwork is now available!
DM to claim (Venmo/PayPal preferred)
Three new paintings available - LG Magical Bookshop, small blue crystal cottage, and turned up mushroom
December 26, 2025 at 9:12 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Every year, members of my cottage community hold a Christmas curling tournament on one of our ponds. While I don’t compete, it’s always nice to stop in and say hi to my neighbours.
A group of people stand around two small sheets of ice shovelled into large, frozen, and snow covered pond. The pond is surrounded by snow covered spruce trees in the middle of the boreal forest. The people are all dressed in winter clothes and are playing jam pail curling.
December 27, 2025 at 8:24 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A quiet Boxing Day evening with my favourite Christmas special.
A cosy living room with a fireplace blazing in the woodstove on the left, a Christmas tree glittering in the right corner and in the middle is a small television playing the Muppet Family Christmas
December 27, 2025 at 2:03 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
It’s been a fun few days in the city, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the wintry woods and my little fluff balls. If you turn the volume way up, you can hear their little chirps. #birds
December 26, 2025 at 5:43 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Designed by the same architect responsible for NYC's Grand Central Station, Winnipeg's Union Station is a beautiful building that doesn't get nearly enough use. #Winnipeg
Looking up at the inside of large dome in the rotunda of a train station. It's done in an art deco style with a beautiful glass centre and greenish-blue sections of ceiling sweeping down on all sides. An enormous, lit Christmas tree stands in the middle of the empty room and is reflected in the gleaming floor.
December 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The last photo I took with my D610 and 200-500mm lens before they took a nose dive off of the shelf while I was outside shoveling. They served me well for many years. #mammals 🌿
A red-squirrel pops up from behind a pile of freshly-fallen snow. Its face is covered in snow and it stares back at the camera, hands up to its mouth, about to eat.
December 24, 2025 at 3:14 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The cottage was looking especially lovely this morning while I shovelled the driveway. More snow on the way. I’m glad my hand is healing and I figured out how to shovel without using my right thumb.
A small brownish green cottage is tucked in the woods under a blanket of snow. The recently shovelled driveway stretches out in front of you leading you to the building. It is framed by snow covered spruce trees. The morning sky is dappled with white cloud, clouds lit slightly golden by the rising Sun off to the left.
December 24, 2025 at 4:46 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who offered camera advice after Saturday’s catastrophe. I’m happy to say that the insurance claim is going forward and I’ll be getting a replacement soon. If you’re particularly sensitive to damage, don’t watch this, but if you’re curious to see the destruction, here it is.
December 22, 2025 at 8:58 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Just had some visitors up the driveway. These are two of three coyotes that came by a few minutes ago. The the second photo is one that almost came right up the driveway, but saw me in the window and turned around. Always a treat to see them. #mammals 🌿
A very fluffy, healthy looking coyote stands at the end of a snowy driveway that has been cleared by a snowblower and looks off to the right of the image down the road through the forest. Very fluffy, healthy, looking coyote jogs down a snowy driveway while looking off to the left down the snowy road through the forest
December 22, 2025 at 8:05 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
These pâtes de fruits were fun to make. You usually cut them into squares, but I have my grandma’s old card suit cutters, and thought this would be a good application for them. Flavours are orange and pomegranate.
A crystal candy dish holding fruit jellies. Heart shaped ones and diamond ones are orange and clubs and spades are the deep purple of pomegranate.
December 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A moment with our neighbourhood deer. They are unfortunately, a little bit too used to people thanks to some of my neighbors. #mammals 🌿
December 22, 2025 at 3:44 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A solstice sunrise over Lake Winnipeg.
Looking out over a frozen snow covered lake about a half an hour into sunrise. The golden sun lights up the sky in a triangle just above the purple horizon before it disappears behind a bank of equally purple clouds. The snow gives everything kind of a marshmallow effect and tall grasses stand in the foreground to show where the land is.
December 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Calling my wildlife photographer friends! I need advice.
My camera and my 200-500 mm lens have been destroyed (I’m still processing it) So, it’s time to upgrade. I was shooting a Nikon D610, looking to go mirrorless. What would you suggest in a similar range for when I make the insurance claim?
December 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A pretty accurate representation of what our weather has been like this week. #mammals 🌿
A polar bear sits in loaf pose in the snow. It's snowing heavily and it's covering the bear in snow.
December 20, 2025 at 4:16 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The pine grosbeaks have found the feeder. It's always such a treat to have these beautiful birds in the yard. #birds 🌿
A female pine grosbeak perches on a metal loop. The bird is a big, round, finch with grey feathers, higlighted with golden feathers on the head and rump. A male pine grosbeak perches on a metal hook. The large, round, fluffy finch is bright pink.
December 20, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
3dfrost.bsky.social
I don't want gen AI in my browser
I don't want gen AI in my pc
I don't want gen AI in my art
I don't want gen AI in my games
I don't want gen AI in my music
I don't want gen AI in my movies
I don't want gen AI in my books
I don't want gen AI in my cart
I don't want gen AI in my life
December 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A close encounter with one of our local white tailed deer. She’s unfortunately much too used to people thanks to some of my neighbours. And before you ask, I’ve done everything I can at this point to curtail this. Thankfully, her behaviour is not the norm. Most are much more skittish.
December 19, 2025 at 5:55 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Some feathered friends at my feeders this afternoon. These two males or what’s left of a whole flock of pine grosbeaks that stopped by earlier. I think our red breasted nuthatches have gone south, leaving room for their white breasted brethren. The chickadees are my constants. #birds 🌿
December 18, 2025 at 11:49 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Looking to beat back the winter blues in the new year? I have room in my online drawing course: Manitoba Wildflowers in Colour. We will use watercolour and coloured pencils to bring a lovely bouquet of wildflowers to live on the page. You can register here: www.mcnallyrobinson.com/classes
A coloured pencil drawing of a yellow lady slipper orchid in side-view showing off the bulbous 'slipper' petal.
December 18, 2025 at 8:46 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Between my still healing hand and more snow on the way tomorrow, I'm not getting very far for the next little while. Professional help is coming on Saturday. Hopefully, the plough comes too :) ❄️ 🌨️
Looking at the snow-covered back deck of a cottage with a small path shoveled through. It's not an enormous amount of snow, but it's a lot to move. Looking down over 80 feet of snow-covered driveway in a forested yard. The surface is mostly pristine except for right in the foreground where there has been a bit of shoveling.
December 18, 2025 at 4:22 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I stumbled onto a small herd of Icelandic ponies near Gimli yesterday. They were a bit far from the road and the weather was nasty, but I managed to capture this lovely moment.
Two Icelandic ponies snuggle on a windy day. The chestnut horse has its head tucked over the head of the roan horse who is snuggling in.
December 18, 2025 at 1:43 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Nyoom!
glengrambo.bsky.social Glen Grambo 🇨🇦 @glengrambo.bsky.social · 9d
#ArtAdventCalendar
Dec. 17
Why use wings when you can just engage missile mode?
This downy woodpecker male was foraging among the spruce trees, and decide that for this short journey, wings were not needed!
#Birds #photography #wildlife
🪶
A male downy woodpecker flys like a missile towards us with his wings folded tight against his body. His black and white markings contrast with the small red patch on the back of his head.
December 18, 2025 at 1:26 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A short time lapse of this morning’s sunrise. Next time I will bring my tripod and do it properly.
December 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The coyotes must have brought down a deer on the lake in the early morning. I watched from the shore as a handful of them joined the one who was out there already being kept company by a bunch of ravens. Always fascinating to watch their behaviour while going unnoticed. #mammals 🌿
December 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
My sister gave me a wreath at one of her high school students made as part of a fundraising program they do every year. I happened to have some small lights laying around and I think they came together well.
A wreath made of spruce and fur boughs with a red plaid bow and small lights hangs on the post that is holding a cottage sign surrounded by snow covered spruce trees. On top of the post is a small solar light that glows in the early evening gloom.
December 14, 2025 at 11:41 PM