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.

Fishy - Sunday Stamps

We don't buy many stamps and it annoys me when the local post office insists on putting one large generated stamp on the occasional parcel we send abroad. Apparently it's easier for them that using proper stamps.

We buy a booklet of six First Class stamps especially for birthday cards and last week was no exception. This is what we got.

Great Britain - First Class Stamp Booklet

When I opened the booklet I thought it only contained four stamps untill I looked at the fish - the Common Skate (Threatened) and the Cornish Sardines (Sustainable)

These are two from a set of six issued on 5 June 2014.

To see what others have chosen in a week when Viridian lets us post what we like you need to follow the links at Sunday-stamps-191.

By Boat and Plane to Guernsey - Sunday Stamps.

I have never been to the Channel Islands and only have a few of their stamps. However I came across this lot last week on my favourite market stall.

Guernsey

The Dasher appeared in a Mail Boat set issued in 1972, the Isle of Guernsey in another Mail Boat set the following year.

The Arthur Lionel lifeboat stamp was issued in 1974 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. The Arthur Lionel was launched in 1912 at Liverpool and appeared on another stamp in 1999 on the 175th Anniversary of the RNLI.

The Westland Wessex stamp was issued in 1973 to commemorate 50 years of flying to the island and the three aircraft used by Cobham Air Services. The plane shown came to grief on the 3 July 1935 when it ditched in the English Channel with the loss of the pilot, the passenger managed to escape. The aircraft was carrying only the one passenger from Guernsey to Bournemouth. Its starboard engine failed 25 to 30 minutes into the flight but carried on with the two remaining engines. After an half-an-hour one or both of these engines failed and the aircraft crashed into the sea. The passenger was picked up after two hours but the pilot was never found. An inquiry concluded that the pilot had taken an unnecessary but not wholly unjustifiable risk to continue with two engines and he should have considered turning for the French coast.

The Les Casquets lighthouse stamp was issued in 1976; the light guides shipping to Alderney and Guernsey.

Herm Island used to issue its own stamps. Herm is one of the islands making up the Bailiwick of Guernsey. the 7p stamp was issued in 1975.

To see what others have chosen this week please visit Viridian's Sunday-Stamps-184.

Memorial Day - Sunday Stamps

Today happens to be the anniversary of the day in 1940 when the order was given to evacuate Dunkirk. There has been a memorial service earlier today in Liverpool to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic; 1943 was the year which marked the turning point of the battle in the Allies favour.

So I have chosen today to show Great Britain stamps commemorating the birth and death of our greatest wartime leader.

Winston Churchill

Churchill died in January 1965. This stamp was issued on 6 July 1965 along with another of a similar design at 4d and a different stamp at 1/3d (i.e., before our currency was decimalised)

Churchill had been born on 30 November 1874. To commemorate the centenary of his birth Great Britain issued a set of four stamps on 8th October 1974. I have two of these.

Churchill Centenary

The other two with him in different headgear were 8p and 10p denominations.

These were s for Viridian's Sunday Stamps suggested theme of  stamps commemorating or memorializing someone or an important event.