Deep Dive: Canadian Wildlife Mini Series Vol. 2

We're thrilled to introduce our newest collection of wooden mini puzzles, a tribute to three iconic birds that can be found within the wilds of Canada: the Great Horned Owl, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and the Blue Jay.

More than just puzzles, this series is an ongoing exploration into the fascinating contrasts and commonalities that shape these incredible creatures, brought to life through the distinct visions of talented homegrown artists.

From the very beginning, our Canadian Wildlife Series was conceived as a journey through Canada's diverse ecosystems, highlighting how different evolutionary strategies can beautifully coexist within the same landscapes. Let's pull back the curtain on some of the design elements and themes we explored in bringing these puzzles to your hands.

Passion
Artist: Dimitri Sirenko
Puzzle Design: Siri Olson
Dimensions: 12 cm x 12 cm
Piece Count: 53
Difficulty: 1 out of 5

The ruby-throated hummingbird, a creature of vibrant activity, perfectly represents the fleeting, in-between transition moments at dawn. With its 53 pieces, matching the astonishing number of times hummingbird wings beat per second, this puzzle is designed to convey movement both in long-distance migratory patterns as well as short flits between bird feeders and flowers.

Woodland Watcher

Artist: Kourtney Hope
Puzzle Design: Siri Olson
Dimensions: 12 cm x 12 cm
Piece Count: 60
Difficulty: 2 out of 5

Our Great Horned Owl puzzle embodies the quiet stillness and profound mystery of the night. The design aims to evoke a sense of silent, powerful presence while also honouring the owl's role as an apex predator: a bird of prey most active when the world sleeps. The owl's intense gaze invites us to consider the owl's nocturnal prey, perhaps a mouse scurrying for safety in the grass. The 60 pieces are a nod to the owl's impressive flight speed in km/h.

Curiosity is King
Artist: Shana Patry
Puzzle Design: Siri Olson
Dimensions: 12 cm x 12 cm
Piece Count: 50
Difficulty: 1 out of 5

The Blue Jay, with its boisterous chatter and active foraging, embodies the vibrancy of daylight hours. The design leans into the Blue Jay's playful curious nature (note the question mark locks) and its role as an "ecosystem engineer" and "planting builder." We also wanted to capture the collaborative spirit of blue jays, with two blue jay whimsies symbolizing courtship, as well as their joint feeding and nest-building efforts.

Commonalities

All three species are year-round or seasonal residents across much of Canada, showing remarkable adaptability to diverse habitats from boreal forests to urban environments. All three species are cavity or platform nesters (though with very different approaches), and each plays important roles in seed dispersal - the jay through active caching, the hummingbird through inadvertent transport on feathers, and the owl through prey remains. All three also demonstrate strong territorial behaviors during breeding season and have adapted well to human-modified landscapes.

Ecological Shaping Contrasts

The most obvious difference lies in their ecological roles. The Great Horned Owl serves as an apex predator, controlling rodent and rabbit populations primarily through nocturnal hunting. Blue Jays function as ecosystem engineers, actively dispersing seeds (especially oak acorns) while also serving as both predator and prey in the food web. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are specialized pollinators, maintaining crucial relationships with native flowering plants while also consuming vast quantities of small insects.

Reproductive Strategies

Nesting approaches reveal fascinating adaptations. Great Horned Owls are nest appropriators, taking over existing structures and beginning their breeding cycle remarkably early (January-March) to give their young maximum development time before winter. Their 1-3 large eggs require 30-35 days of incubation.

Blue Jays are cooperative architects, with both parents building intricate stick nests lined with rootlets. They typically raise one brood of 3-6 eggs with a 17-18 day incubation period, showing remarkable nest site fidelity.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds represent the extreme in miniaturization - females single-handedly construct walnut-sized nests using spider silk for elasticity, laying just 2 rice-grain-sized eggs that hatch in 12-14 days.

Parental investment varies dramatically. Owl parents provide intensive care for 6-10 weeks post-fledging, teaching hunting skills essential for survival. Jay parents invest heavily in the first few weeks but rely on their young's rapid cognitive development. Hummingbird mothers shoulder the entire burden alone, feeding nestlings every 10-15 minutes during daylight hours.

Migration Patterns

The most significant behavioural difference between these three birds lies in migration. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds undertake extraordinary journeys, including non-stop flights across the Gulf of Mexico - a remarkable feat for such tiny birds. 

Great Horned Owls and Blue Jays are largely non-migratory in Canada, though northern populations of both species may move south during severe winters. This creates seasonal community dynamics where summer brings peak diversity, while winter sees more stable year-round resident populations.

Breeding timing reflects these migration patterns. Hummingbirds compress their entire Canadian breeding cycle into 4-5 months (May-September), while the resident species spread their activities across longer periods, with owls actually beginning their cycle in the depths of winter.

These three species beautifully illustrate how different evolutionary strategies can coexist within the same landscapes, each filling unique ecological niches while contributing to the complex web of Canadian forest ecosystems.

We hope this glimpse into our design considerations has given you a deeper appreciation for the thought and artistry behind our Canadian Wildlife Mini Puzzle series. In Volume 2, each puzzle is a small window into the vast and complex world of Canadian birds, inviting you to connect with nature one piece at a time.

Whimsies

• Passion: 4x Flowers, Hummingbird, Migration Map, Hummingbird Moth
• Woodland Watcher: Owl, Talon, Owlet in Nest, Crescent Moon, Artist Signature
• Curiosity is King: Pair of Blue Jays, Music Notes, Feather, Hatching Chick in Egg