Guatemala

25/6/14
I received this postcard from Jostin, a student from a school which encourages postcard exchange as a way of learning about the world. This is a great way for students to practice their English writing by sharing something about the country or themselves with the rest of the world. Tikal is one of the largest Mayan civilization archaeological sites, and has been a UNESCO WHS since 1979.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and all the best.

Cyprus

19/4/14
My friends Adrienne and Hamid recently got married and spent their Honeymoon in Cyprus. Adie sent me this postcard with 3 things that made her think of my while they were there...
1. She thinks I could name all the flowers that were blooming everywhere.
2. It is full of "small chirpy birds" and lies on the migration route for the Eastern Mediterranean. Apparently 375 species have been recorded and two are indigenous!
3. Apparently there are lots of yummy sounding "Childrens Cocktails" or "Drink and Drive Cocktails" (I don't drink alcohol).

I hope you brought back some mocktail recipes to try when I next visit, and maybe I will add Cyprus to my list of birding countries to visit in the future! Thanks for the postcard, and glad you had an awesome time, Mr and Mrs H!

United Arab Emirates

25/7/14
Kitoro sent me this lovely postcard from Dubai, which also shows one of the tall towers in this vibrant city. I like the style of this postcard, it feels old despite showing a modern building.

Thanks so much for the postcard.

*****

16/4/14
I have followed "Starring You" on Facebook almost since I started collecting postcards. This is my first postcard from them showing one of the tallest buildings in Dubai. Michael writes that it's a very special place with very rich and very poor people living there. He's heard some amazing stories but is now moving on to Malaysia.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and hope to receive a few more from your amazing travels!

Sierra Leone

9/4/14
I received this postcard in an envelope from Mustapha, who lives in Freetown. It was a lovely surprise to see so many bird stamps on the envelope, so I took a combined photo!

Thanks so much for the postcard!

Brazil

7/8/14
Aurelio sent me this postcard showing one of many beaches in the area of Brazil where she lives. I never consider beaches when I think of Brazil, so it was nice to see something that wasn't rainforest (even though I love that too!) It looks like there are beach buggy's with people gathering - maybe for surfing?

Thanks so much for the postcard!

*****

25/7/14
After a summer away, I reset my postcrossing profile to "active" and then had to go away for a week. When I returned, I had some lovely postcards waiting for me, including this one from Mayla. I had just been reading an article about these amazing birds, so it was very well timed to receive this postcard. The Arara Azul is a very rare parrot from South America, and is the main character in the film Rio (VERY good movie!)
Thanks so much for the postcard and the information!

*****

7/5/14
I received these two postcards from Deusimar, who agreed to swap with me following a post on Facebook. These parrots have such an amazing plumage, I can understand why they have been popular as pets. Unfortunately, this has led to a massive decline in numbers and they are now a focus of conservation efforts in the area. Thankfully, the Pantanal still has plenty of other birds, and it looks like an amazing place for wildlife watching- maybe one day I'll get there for a visit to see it all for myself!

Thanks so much for the postcards.

*****

 10/4/14
Two Brazilian Birds in one day! Of all the Brazilian birds, this is possible the most iconic - a Blue and Yellow Macaw, or the Arara Blue. Santiago is a student in engineering and sent me this postcard after my request for native birds.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and you are right, they are gorgeous animals.

*****

10/4/14
Silvia sent me a very different Brazilian Bird - this is a Canary, one of the most common species in Brazil. Unfortunately they are often caught and kept in cages as songbirds, which I believe is a problem worldwide.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and I hope you receive mine soon (we posted on the same day!)

Nepal

10/4/14
Krishna sent me this postcard showing the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which looks like it has lots of interesting architecture. I especially like this lion statue, I wonder what he is guarding?

Thanks so much for the postcard, and I hope you had a great Birthday.

Netherlands

17/9/14
Cynni sent me this lovely Long Tailed Tit postcard, or as I call them, a Lotty! They are one of my favourite species, like little pinkish-grey pom-poms with really long tails!

Thanks so much for the card, and I hope you had a good day at the Zoo.

*****

 5/9/14
Gerda sent me this postcard showing traditional Dutch dress. The women's headpieces look crazy, especially if it is a windy day! Gerda lives with her husband and for their recent anniversary they went to a music concert.

Many thanks for the postcard, and I wish you happiness together.

*****

4/9/14
Cynni sent me this postcard of a White Stork. Last spring she watched a Stork webcam and saw the family raise three chicks.

Thanks for adding a new card to my bird collection.

*****

11/8/14
Wim sent me this lovely ID postcard showing Birds of the Woods. It's interesting that almost all of the species shown also occur in the UK, and I have had the pleasure of handling many of them. Wim says he likes spending time in the woods listening to the birds, and sometimes they will show themselves.

Thanks so much for the postcard.

*****

9/4/14
Heather posted on a facebook group asking for help decluttering. I gladly offered to help and received this lovely postcard showing Den Bosch. She mentioned the special food called a Bossche Bol, which I googled and OMG! A tennis ball sized profiterole, covered in chocolate! If I ever visit, I will most definitely be trying one! Apparently you can also take a boat trip under the city, which presumably is for people who haven't eaten too many Bossche Bol's!

Thanks so much for the postcard and for making me really want chocolate now!