egret

 

These don't look so 'little' to me, but the translation is "little egret" which weighs about 310 g, or almost 11 oz.  I rather like the rhyming scientific name.  Above is  the Reddish Egret (700-850 g or 25-30 oz), which is far better displayed on a souvenir sheet than just the stamp.  The $5 in Eastern Caribbean Dollars is equal to 1.58 euros, 1.38 pound sterling, 1.85 USD, and 2.54 CAD

Audubon's depiction of these egrets was made 1827-38.  

thatch

rooftops

Storks are the national bird of Belarus. Their nests are high off the ground, in trees or rooftops, or pylons.  They evolve over time as the pair return year after year  and expand, alter and redecorate. Some nests have grown to 2 metres wide and could be decades old (and are, eventually, passed on to other pairs)

Some people's nests have thatched roofs that require repairs every 10-25 years or so.  It can be eyewateringly expensive, but is environmentally friendly and the materials are sustainable.  And is so pretty.  With the wildfires we are experiencing, it is a good thing that it is not a common practice here.

Some architectural details for Thursday Postcard Hunt.

whimsical birds

robin with a crown of flowers

a charley harper oriole

a singing male cardinal

some songbirds for Thursday Postcard Hunt

beach flamingo

 

walking on a sunny beach with flamingos would be a fun winter escape

birds

This kemphaan is seriously endangered as a breeding bird in the Netherlands and extinct in Belgium

 

 

 

These budgerigars are golden faced blues (from a photo by Leila Jeffries).  They are small parrots and the most popular to be kept as pets in North America and Europe

Below is a kestrel, a small member of the falcon family.  They are highly adaptable and can live anywhere from mountains to the seaside, to urban areas (even nesting at Notre-Dame Cathedral)

flights

 

Birds are a favourite theme and I was thrilled to find this first day cover featuring a barn owl and a kestrel in flight.  This makes me think of those flip books.  Photography is by S Dalton and the series dates to 2003.

Wishing you all a year of fanciful flights in 2025

red

 

the male cardinal is a bright spot in winter, especially where I live when most of the colourful birds have moved south

red is a popular colour for mailboxes in many countries

and decorators often suggest a pop of red somehere n a room, so this red chair would be welcome

plus a bonus red envelope for your Christmas cards

lilac

 

This colourful beauty is a lilac breasted roller.  They range from eastern Africa along the coast to northern South Africa.  They are not known to habitate near humans, which is a shame for us.

a large brood

 

following mama

numbers

 

Dahlias are one of the flowers that follow the fibonacci sequence*

as do the feathers on a peacock 

and let's not forget 

pineapples and pine cones

some patterns for Sunday Stamps

*fibonacci sequence - numbers starting with zero and one, is a steadily increasing series where each number is equal to the sum of the preceding two numbers

glorious twelfth

 red grouse

'it is peculiar to the British area and is most plentiful in the Highlands of Scotland'

 

firsts

Australia has some of the most delightful stamps, so it is always disappointing to get one of these...

Ah well, they will once again be competing, as they have done in every Summer Games since 1896, and that will not disappoint.

They were the first country outside Europe or North America, and the first in the southern hemisphere, to host the Games. 

The first, and so far, only, South American country to host the Games was Brazil.  They had first tried to host in 1936, but lost out to Germany.  They trumpeted their own horn again in 2020 by being only the second nation to surpass its medal count in the Games following the one it hosted.

Indonesia is first among the Southeast Asian countries in overall medals, most of them for badminton, which doesn't get much tv coverage.  This little birdie is a Sangihe Honey Bird.  It is also difficult to see, not least because it is so tiny (12cm).

While searching my South Korea postcards (ed: and, yes I was so excited to find this stamp that I somehow put the country in southern hemisphere) I found this fortuitous stamp (albeit from the winter games)

southern hemisphere for Sunday Stamps

semi finals part deux

thing three

 

 

 

England v Netherlands

thing four

Colombia v Uruguay

vulnerable

The Amazonia versicolor (St Lucia parrot) is St Lucia's national bird.  It's population had been increasing after declining to a low of around 150 individuals in the 1970s, mainly due to habitat loss, poaching and ... hurricanes.

Another bird found exclusively on the island of St Lucia is this oriole.  They feed on fruit and insects and have been seen stripping the bark off trees while foraging, which explains this image!

 

thinking of Saint Lucia and all those in the path of Beryl

black and white

from the top of the world, a trio of long tailed ducks

 

 

 

 to the bottom, with a duo of 

condors and penguins

 

dawn chorus

It is coming to that time of year when the songbirds arrive and I managed to find four examples singing their little hearts out

Latvia's bird of the year (2023), a nightingale,  and a white throated sparrow

northern cardinal

willow warbler

a different kind of music for Sunday Stamps

click on the bird name to hear a sample of their song.
 

dangerous, weird, and beautiful

 

the world's most dangerous bird, a southern cassowary

 

 

followed by the world's most bizarre animal, the duck billed platypus

maybe a trip to sunny Spain would be more up your alley

something blue for Sunday Stamps

upside down

 

At a little under 5" in length, this green parrot with a red throat is endemic to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma. They mimic leaves by hanging upside down when sleeping.

hitchin a ride

 

saw-whet

 a Northern saw-whet owl photographed by Jason Idzerda