Back before the Internet, before email, there was hand-writing. Letters, cards, and postcards were the primary means of personal communications, and if you still lean in that direction, and admire birds, then Christine Berrie's collection of Bird Postcards are for you.
This beautiful collection of 21 postcards is almost too gorgeous to drop in the mail. But if you do, you'll not only delight your friends, but teach them a little bit about birding along the way. You see, each card not only features a full-color print of a bird, but on the back of the card there's a little capsule of information on the bird in question.
For instance, did you know that the Laughing Kookabrra (Dacelo novaeguinea) is a "larger kingfisher (in appearance not too unlike the kingfishers found here in the United States) found in woodland and suburbia across eastern Australia"? Or that the bird "uses powerful bill to snatch reptiles, mice and other small prey from the ground. Named for its ear-splitting territorial call, given at dawn and dusk."
Closer to home, and Acadia National Park, is the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as a "'sea parrot' after its colourful bill. Nests in burrows on grassy slopes. Dives to catch small fish, and may carry 15 in its bill at once."
The collection of cards is due out in time for spring, with a release date of April. You can order a set ($9.95) from this site.
Ms. Berrie is a Glasgow, Scotland, based artist whose clients include The Guardian, The New York Times, and Penguin Books.
Comments
I always take a few postcard stamps before I leave home. I love choosing postcards at a park bookstores and mailing them. It surprises my friends and family. Postcards?