Birds

I knew instantly what stamps I would be showing this week when I saw the Sunday Stamps theme and it is these little birds with big personalities issued by the Isle of Man earlier this year. Painted by the graffiti artist and illustrator Matt Sewell they asked him especially to portray a Manx Shearwater for the set so that is the one we start with.  Centuries ago this bird was called the Manks Puffin, I wonder if that is why its Latin name is Puffinus puffinus  The bold text on the stamps immediately identify all the birds

Matt Sewell says he has been obsessed with bird for as long as he can remember and has published a series of books to share that obsession such as 'Our Garden Birds' and 'Owls - our most enchanting bird' (the first book he has published concentrating on just one order of birds)

  His latest book is 'Penguins and Other Sea Birds' which he describes as celebrating our coastal friends and those from around the world.

A very flashy hobby which looks as though it is dressed up for a night out.  I am always amazed by how long a cormorant can stop underwater.  I was watching one diving on a canal last week although it seemed to have as little success as the fisherman further down the towpath but it was fascinating to see where it would surface. I'd put money on the cormorant rather than the fisherman to finish the day with a catch.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Birds - fly over to See It On A Postcard to join the flock