Sunday Stamps - Birds: Norway, Poland

I have shown all my stamps of dogs before so this time I settled for birds.

A regular visitor to our garden is the robin so he had to appear first.

Norway - 1 April 1982

I have never seen a falcon so this Polish stamp just had to appear.

Poland - 23 January 1975

Also from Poland is a bird that we know as the plover, peewit or lapwing.

Poland - 5 January 1964

One thing I like about the three stamps is that they all include the Latin names of the birds.

To see what others have chosen this week just hop or fly over to Six Legs on Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps II A-Z (2) : B - Cambodia

No I haven't confused the letters, it's just that my Cambodian stamps show birds. And before you comment that that their Latin names begin with 'C' - I know that too.

Coccothraustes coccothraustes - Hawfinch
Cambodia -6 September 1999

We see the hawfinch in our garden every few years and I must say it is more colourful than on this stamp.

A much more regular visitor is the greenfinch despite reduced numbers in the last couple of years due to a throat infection that hampers their ability to eat.

Cambodia -6 September 1999
Carduelis chloris - Greenfinch

So that's 'C', 'G' and 'H' to celebrate 'B' for Birds.

To see other B posts please visit Sunday-Stamps-II-b.

Wonderful, wonderful, Copenhagen.

I'm not a great lover of cities but I would make an exception for Copenhagen shown in this week's prompt.

I've spent many hours there with some time in that selfsame square.

I've doctored this picture to remove the colours and to draw your attention to the pattern on the ground. I guess I must have stood close to where the three people on the right of the prompt photo were located.

No birds, no-one selling food for the pigeons and much more crowded in the 1980s.

I did find a bird feeding elsewhere on the way to Rosenborg Castle.

But like most visitors to Copenhagen I just had to send time admiring - 

The Little Mermaid

To see other posts this week, just follow the links at Sepia-Saturday-355.

Birds - Sunday Stamps II

On our recent trip to America we found these Canadian birds just across the Detroit River on Belle Isle.

That's Canada on the other Bank

I wonder how well the birds on these American stamps are known across there.

USA - Songbirds in the snow, 4 August 2016

• Golden Crown Ringlet
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Cardinal
• Red Breasted Nuthatch

I thing the cardinal is the only one I've seen. The Northern Cardinal has been adopted as the State bird for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

For more birds join in this week at Sunday-Stamps-II-94.

Bird of the Week

I may not be able to maintain this theme as the A-Z Challenge starts tomorrow and will occupy most of my time next month.

This is my bird this week, although the photos are much older - 

Two swans - 'apreening' in Cornwall

Mute swan - Stokkavatnet, Stavanger, Norway

And from Scotland a photo taken by the husband of one of my wife's friends.

Swan convoy - cygnets escorted by their parents.

Bird of the Week

I saw two birds apparently admiring themselves in a window one day this week.

Male chaffinch

I've since learnt that the old lady who lives there has a bird feeder that they visit. Perhaps they were trying to tell her it was empty.

The chaffinch is one of our prettier birds, especially the more colourful male.

Chaffinch on wall outside my home office window in 2013.

Data - Thematic Photography

I've reached an age when studying lots of data is boring. So I rarely look at equity prices in the newspaper and never online. Not even - 

London Commodities Prices

That's London, England, Carmi not Ontario. And anyway there's probably an app for data such as this.

However even with leisure activities it's impossible it seems for some people not to record data of what they do.

Watching birds that frequent our garden - over 5 years data.

I've played a lot of golf over the years and can tell you how many courses I have played at;  I even at one time recorded my scores - hole by hole for every game. I won't bore you with data like that.

However I know of players who go to pieces every time they see the data on it every time they pick up a card.

There's another nine holes of data on the other side.

All before they've hit a ball.

I just wonder how Harry Potter kept the Quidditch score when he played behind these walls.

Alnwick Castle (where the film was made)

Perhaps he stored his data in the clouds.

Like us these days he has plenty to chose from.

If you haven't had enough, you may explore more data at Thematic-photographic-367.

Birds from Europe, Middle East and South Africa - Sunday Stamps

For birds this week I decided to start with some game birds from Europe.

Switzerland - Alectoris graeca - Rock Partridge

The Ring-necked Pheasant occurs in many countries, including - 

Yugoslavia - Phasianus colchicus

I just wonder whether a bird of prey used for sport would take one of those.

UAE - Falcon (issued 07/04/2013)

Finally two birds from South Africa.

South Africa - Bokmakierie and Bateleur

The Bokmakierie (Maiaconotus zeylonus) is a large yellow bushshrike. As you may be able to tell from its beak the Bateleur (Tetrathorpius ecaudatus) is an eagle.

For other birds selected this week please visit Viridian's Sunday-stamps-198.

Birds on Large Sunday Stamps

As I have used up all the stamps of unusual shapes I have had to resort to large stamps this week, all of which feature birds.

Sharjah - United Arab Emirates

There is no mistaking the woodpecker or the swan and its cygnets. However I had  to find out about one of the next two birds.

Hungary

The white stork on the left and an oriole at the right.

All these stamps are 4 cm wide but the Hungary stamps are slightly longer at 5.1/2 cm compared with 5 cm for the Sharjah stamps.

For more large or unusually shaped stamps please check out the links at Viridian's Sunday-stamps-148.

Birds from Singapore - Sunday Stamps

While in transit at Schipol, Amsterdam om Tuesday I came across a packet of 25 bird stamps. However I have yet to break into it and will show stamps from Singapore instead.

 

From the top they are:

• Crimson Sunbird
• Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
• Blue-crested Hanging Bird
• Stork-billed Kingfisher
• Jambu Fruit Dove

I find it difficult to pick my favourite; there are others for you to chose from at Viridian's Sunday-stamps-140.

A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'O'

My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat – wishing they were here.

O – Oceanus, Osteospermum, Owl, Osprey

O! O! O! Three ‘O’s on which I’ve cheated. If it hadn’t been for a fine blue shrub I would have come up with a big fat ‘zero’ for ‘O.’

 

Oceanus

Unfortunately it got so large it swamped everything else in the border, so it had to go; a decision I’ve regretted ever since.

A few years ago we grew some of these:-

 

Osteospermum

However the photo is from the  Longwood Gardens in the USA; I didn’t get a shot of ours at the time,

The last time we saw an owl in our sycamore tree was in May 2010. We frequently hear owls at dusk and after dark. But it and they are not owls like this, scanned from an old birthday card,

 

Barn Owl

As I’ve cheated to include the bird I might as well go all the way and quote a poem in full.

The Barn Owl

While moonlight, silvering all the walls,

Through every mouldering crevice falls,

Tipping with white his powdery plume,

As shades or shifts the changing gloom;

The Owl that, watching; in the barn,

Sees the mouse creeping in the corn,

Sits still, and shuts his round blue eyes

As if he slept, — until he spies

The little beast within his stretch-

Then starts, and seizes on the wretch!

I lived in Rutland, England’s smallest county, as a boy. Since then the Empingham Water reservoir has been created; each year it becomes the home of another magnificent bird.

Osprey

I have not seen one there, but I am pleased to say I have in Scotland, near Aberdeen.

Once more I hear the osprey cry

My name across the northern sky

But I am far away from there

Poems

• The Barn Owl – Samuel Butler
• Osprey Calls My Name – John K Zimmerman

Photos:

• Osteospermum – Longwood Gardens; by Raul654 – CC BY-SA 3.0
• Osprey – from Flickr; by flythebirdpath; CC BY-SA 2.0

A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'N' - Narcissus

My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat – wishing they were here.

N – Narcissus, Nicotiana, Nuthatch, Newt

Although we have daffodils (D) in the garden they are outnumbered by a long way by this more delicate flower. Normally they flower in April but this cold winter and spring has delayed their appearance.

Narcissus

Given that Narcissus the youth was the vainest of the vain, are we right to assume that the Narcissus flower represents vanity?

Nicotianas on the other hand are ideal for decorative pots and are available in a variety of colours.

Nicotianas

Some birds are difficult to see and even more difficult to photograph; the tree creeper is one such and here is another we rarely see.

Nuthatch

The nuthatch he so agile be

As head first he descends the tree

 Although it’s quite common for us to see young frogs, newts are far from common; there are some in next door’s pond. Shakespeare’s witches might have problems here to fulfill their recipe.

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Common Newt

 Newts and blind worms do no wrong.

If gardeners need reminding of that, then they should also follow this advice:-

When the newt on my boot

Asked me not to pollute

I told him I’d give it a try.

Poems/Quotations:

• The Nuthatch – James Charteris
• Eye of Newt – Macbeth, Second Witch – William Shakespeare
• Newts – Midsummer’s Night Dream – William Shakespeare
• When the newt… - Joe Mohr

Photos:

• Nuthatch – Tony Hisgett, Birmingham – CC BY-SA 2.0 – Upload Magnus Manske
• Newt – Silverstrpher, Scotland – CC BY-SA 2,0 – Upload Sandy Rae

Watch the Birdie

One of the things I have done on and off for many years is to record the birds I see in my garden each day. This month I have seen linnets, siskins and a greater spotted woodpecker for the first time.

The challenge now is to photograph them - if I can. This week I succeeded with this at least.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Of course it would not cooperate and turn so that we could see the red at the back of its head and its red stomach that distinguishes it from the lesser spotted variety.

Not full frontal

At least in this second shot you can see some of the red on its stomach.

These shots were taken with a x40 Sony camcorder through a double glazed window. The sycamore tree is around 70 feet high; the bird is near the top and 30-40 feet from the window. It will fly at the slightest movement so there was no chance of getting closer.

Now I must hope that it comes back and 'poses' longer.

It is also difficult to photograph another more regular visitor, This is the best I've achieved so far, again through that same window at a distance of about 10 feet, but this time with a Lumix digital camera.

Goldcrest

This is Britain's smallest bird that we see every year in the conifer which would have been cut down by now if it weren't for him.

Birds on Sunday Stamps

I'm pleased to be able to rejoin Viridian's Sunday Stamps now I am back in the UK. This week's theme of  'Birds' has given me a problem as I have over 50 bird stamps.

In 1966 Great Britain issued a set of four stamps of which I can present just two, I'm missing the blackbird and the robin.

Black-headed Gull & Blue Tit (1966)

Later issues included waterbirds - again I have two of these.

Dipper & Puffin

 The puffin stamp was issued to commemorate the centenary of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds. The puffin colonies in the UK are threatened by the reduction in availability of sandeels, their staple food.

Another bird whose numbers are decreasing as a result of modern farming methods is shown on my next stamp.

Lapwing (also known as the peewit)

Becaause I've been on holiday in the USA I ought to show some of their stamps. The first one below is a favourite of mine.

Pelican

I have still to research the details about the Pelican Island refuge.

Blue Jay & Ring-necked Pheasant

Finally for this week I must include the stamp commemorating a famous man who painted birds, John James Audubon (1785-1851).

 

You may read all about him and the Audubon Society at John James Audubon You can also follow the Audubon Society on Facebook if you wish.

For more bird stamps visit Viridian's sunday-stamps-27

Birding in Michigan

Despite my daughters dogs I have managed to catch a few birds at the bird feeder and in the grounds all within 50 yards of the house. The drawback has been that most of the birds are on the ground.

I suppose that I have to show the Michigan State bird first:

American Robin

This frequent visitor to the bird feeder is more colourful than the British Jay:

Blue Jay

The most brightly coloured visitor is this red bird

Cardinal

I'd really like to get better pictures of the Cardinal and the Red Winged Blackbirds but I cannot get close enough:

Red Winged Blackbirds

The picture does not do them justice they look much better in flight..

My last shot is of a bird on top of its nest box.

Tree Swallow

It has young birds in the nest which have no feathers at all at this stage. We don't have tree swallows in the UK; our swallows would not use a nest box like this