Marion Dufresne and the Kerguelen Islands, TAAF

Sent from the French research vessel Marion Dufresne during its second 2023 rotation through the French Austral lands. Postmarked in Port-aux-Français in the Kerguelen Islands. As is usually the case with covers sent from the Marion Dufresne, the envelope is covered with personal handstamps from some of the ship's crew and scientists going to the islands.

Rüschlikon, Switzerland

From Rüschlikon, on the western shore of lake Zürich. The three stamps from left to right are a 10 franc coin stamp from 2022, A Hydnellum caeruleum mushroom stamp from 2014, and a red fox stamp from a set featuring "Animals in the City" from 2021. 

Bogor City, Indonesia

The stamps from 2015 on this cover from Bogor City in Indonesia show the flower of an elephant foot yam and a common hill myna bird. 

Preserve the Polar Regions, France

From France, with a generic "La Poste" postmark. The souvenir sheet is from 2009 and part of a joint issue that included the postal administrations of several countries to raise awareness of the harm being done to the polar regions. 

Skrok and Skrins Nature Reserves, Netherlands

A pair of stamps from the "Experience Nature" stamp series from the Netherlands. These stamps are from a sheet that features flora and fauna from the Skrok and Skrins Nature Reserves. Both are bird sanctuaries in the Greidhoeke in Friesland. The bird on the right stamp is a Kemphaan. And the flowers on the stamp on the left are Goudknopje or Brass Buttons.
 

Bjørnøya, Norway

Bjørnøya, or Bear Island, is the southern most island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. Only a few people inhabit the island on a rotating basis, operating the weather and radio station. The 2022 stamp is from Post Norway's "Research, Innovation and Technology" stamp series. This stamp depict Hywind Tampen: the worlds first floating wind farm. There are three postmarks on this stamp. The obvious one is the Bjørnøya Arctic Loon postmark. At the bottom of the stamp is the circular Bjørnøya postmark. And at the top is an Oslo machine postmark.

São Filipe, Cape Verde

From the city of São Filipe on the island of Fogo. Cape Verde consists of a group of volcanic islands 600km west of the western tip of Africa. It was settled by the Portuguese in the 15th century and gained independence in 1975. Over half a million people live in Cape Verde. 

The stamps are 2004 Summer Olympic stamps: Gymnastics and Taekwondo. On the back of the envelope there is a handstamped postmarks from Cape Verde with a date stamp and another machine stamp from Portugal with a Lisbon postal code. Thanks for the cover Pedro. Much appreciated!

United Nations, New York Office

United Nation flag stamps: Mongolia, Iraq, Argentina, Zimbabwe and Vanuatu. These were issued in 1987. It's was a long running series, started back in 1980 I believe. Issuing a few stamps in the series each year meant it took a while to get through all 195 member states. Or whatever it was at the time. The stamp at the lower left corner is a 1983 World Communications Year commemorative.

Bees in Montréal

From the city of Montréal. I'm not sure what the deal is with the bees on the postmark but I like it, with its honeycomb shape. Apparently urban bee keeping in Montréal has become so popular that there is an over-population of honeybees in the city. There are so many bees that there are not enough flowers to keep them all fed which has led to the decline in native bees species in the area. 

Great American Stamp Show, Cleveland Ohio. USA

The rock and roll theme of the cover likely comes from the fact Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 2023 Great American Stamp Show was held in Cleveland on August 10 to 13, hosted by the American Philatelic Society, American Topical Association and the American First Day Cover Society. Thanks to Mark Goodman for this cover.

Blackadder Goes Forth

These stamps were issued by Royal Mail in May of 2023. Blackadder was a British comedy series from the 1980's staring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) as Edmund Blackadder. Each of the four TV series took place in a different time period with the forth set during WWI in 1917. I didn't appreciate the forth series of Blackadder. Nor the first actually. But I loved the second and third. Maybe I should give the forth  another chance. 

Leamington, Ontario. Canada

Butterflies on this postmark from Leamington, Ontario. Monarch butterflies gather there in the fall during their annual migration south to Mexico. The municipality includes Point Pelee national park which juts out into Lake Erie. It is the southern-most tip of Canada.

Trier, Germany

NAPOSTA was a national stamp exhibition held between the 20th and 23rd of July 2023 by the Trier stamp club. The structure in the postmark is the ruins of an ancient Roman bath complex in Trier. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Mutsu City, Aomori prefecture, Japan

The postmark is shaped like the top of the Shimokita Peninsula in the Aomori prefecture. This is the northern tip of Honshu: Japan's main island. In the postmark is a scallop and Mount Kamabuse. The bay to the south of Shimokita is a major source of sea scallops. And Kamabuse is a peak to the west of Mutsu City, where this postmark was applied.