SCOTLAND

Culzean Castle

Culzean Castle is a castle near Maybole, Carrick, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The clifftop castle lies within the Culzean Castle Country Park and is opened to the public. Culzean Castle was constructed as an L-plan castle by order of the 10th Earl of Cassilis. He instructed the architect Robert Adam to rebuild a previous, but more basic, structure into a fine country house to be the seat of his earldom. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. It incorporates a large drum tower with a circular saloon inside (which overlooks the sea), a grand oval staircase and a suite of well-appointed apartments. There are sea caves beneath the castle which are currently not open to visitors. The Castle is reputed to be home to at least seven ghosts including a piper and a servant girl.

A nice stamp.

Received from: missripley 

Highland Cattle

Highland cattle are a Scottish breed of cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun. The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Breeding stock has been exported to the rest of the world, especially Australia and North America, since the early 20th Century. The breed was developed from two sets of stock, one originally black, and the other reddish. Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and very strong winds. Their hair gives protection during the cold winters and their skill in looking for food allows them to survive in steep mountain areas.

The same stamp as above

Received from: flyingwhales

UNITED KINGDOM - CITIES

London Eye

 

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually. It provides the highest public viewing point, and is the 20th tallest structure, in London.

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: luciekla

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue colour. The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), and his wife, The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark). The bridge is 800 feet (244 m) in length with two towers each 213 feet (65 m) high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 86 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimise the force required and allow raising in five minutes.

A nice stamp.

Received from: Kamilaa

 

Clare Bridge, Cambridge

 

Clare College was re-founded in 1338 by Lady Elizabeth de Clare. Her purpose was replacement of clergy lost to the Black Death. Evern with her assistance the college struggled financially. Further troubles beset it in the form of two fires. Its slow, phoenix-like recovery began in 1638 with the building of Cambridge's first stone bridge.

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Elcmae

ANIMALS - HORSES

New Forest, Hampshire

A familiar sight as one passes through the New Forest is that of a mare with her foal living among the heather, and chewing the prickly furze-tops.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Postcardquest

PEOPLE

Princess Alexandra

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy. Prior to her marriage she was known as Princess Alexandra of Kent, being the first princess to use the territorial designation of Kent since Queen Victoria, who was, prior to her accession, known as Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Cardsgoround

WATER ANIMALS

Dolphins

These offshore dolphins are found in pods ranging from a few animals to several hundreds. They are small, fast, and agile and the calves can keep up with their mothers from an early age. Common dolphin often breach and bow ride with boats, displaying the very distinctive figure of eight pattern on their sides. Frenzied activity may be seen when a group of dolphins work together to drive shoaling fish to the surface, often attracting seabirds such as gannets.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Ichabodhides

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: saartwinkel

 

  

Seals

Seals can be found in all waters of the world, from the Arctic and Antarctic to tropical waters. They belong to the order Pinnipedia, which means "fin-footed". Pinnipeds have four flippers - one pair in front, and one pair in back. Pinnipeds are mammals. They're warm-blooded, give live birth, nurse their young, breathe air, and have hair. Eared seals (sea lions and fur seals) have external ear flaps and are able to use their flippers for walking on land by rotating their hind flippers forward. While swimming, they use their front flippers for power. All seals are carnivores. Their diet consists mostly of fish, crustaceans and shellfish.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Nordfriesland

Saimaan norppa

The Saimaa ringed seal is a subspecies of ringed seal. They are among the most endangered seals in the world, having a total population of only about 310 individuals. The only existing population of these seals is found in Lake Saimaa, Finland (hence the name). The population is descended from ringed seals that were separated from the rest when the land rose after the last ice age. This seal, along with the Ladoga Seal and the Baikal Seal, is one of the few living freshwater seals. They are coloured dark gray, with a gray-black dorsal with circular white rings. The Saimaa ringed seal has been protected since 1955. In order to protect the Saimaa ringed seal, there are voluntary fisheries restrictions in a part of their living areas.

Finnish EUROPA stamp.

Received from: Saint

UNITED KINGDOM - NATURE

Bluebell Wood, North Dorset Downs, England

A bluebell wood is a woodland that in springtime has a carpet of flowering bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) underneath a newly forming leaf canopy. The thicker the summer canopy, the more the competitive ground-cover is suppressed, encouraging a dense carpet of bluebells, whose leaves mature and die down by early summer. Bluebell woods may be found in all parts of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as elsewhere in Europe. Bluebells are a common indicator species for ancient woodlands, so bluebell woods are likely to date back to at least 1600.

A nice stamp.

Received from: jools2

ANIMALS - BIRDS

Roadrunner

The roadrunner is a member of the Cuckoo family. It lives in the thorny scrub, sparse grasslands and deserts of Mexico and of the Southwestern United States. It can run up to 17 miles per hour. It can keep its large body airborne for just more than a few seconds and so prefers walking or running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: SolArts66

Black-crowned Night Heron

These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and small birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful envelope with a lot of stamps.

Received from: micio

 

 

 

 

Red Kite

Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.
They have a wingspan of nearly two metres, but a relatively small body.
This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings. Red Kites are predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: danieleastwood90

 

Swan

The swans are the largest members of the duck family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. Their wingspans can be almost 3 m. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

 

 

 

 

Many stamps.

 Received from: begemotik

 

Black Stork

The Black Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but uncommon, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe (predominantly in central and eastern regions), across temperate Asia and Southern Africa. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians and insects.

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: lenasmile

Osprey

The Osprey, sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle or fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings. The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Springlight

 

 

 

Olive Bee Eater

The Olive Bee-eater is found in the grassland and coastal mountain forests of East Africa and Madagascar, and an isolated population can be found in coastal Angola. They are partially migratory, and usually breed only in the southern portion of their range, moving north for the dry season in southern Africa. It lays four eggs in a burrow nest at the beginning of the southern African wet season, and the chicks usually hatch at the beginning of December.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: yulien

 

 

 

 

 

Minnesota Birds

The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21 centimeters (8.3 inches). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The Great Northern Loon, is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia. This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet (60 m). The Black-capped Chickadee is a small, North American songbird. It is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand).

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Spriggan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States of America. The Bald Eagle appears on its Seal.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: RobinP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stork

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks occur in many regions of the world. Storks have no syrinx and are mute, giving no call; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds and small mammals. Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over 2 m (6 ft) in diameter and about 3 m (10 ft) in depth.

 

Beautiful EUROPA stamps.

Received from: littlesquirrel