Parrot paintings

From left to right :
NT$12 : Congo Grey Parrot (剛果灰鸚鵡) ; NT$5 : Blue-winged Parakeet (藍翅鸚哥)
NT$25 : Australian King Parrot (澳洲國王鸚鵡)
NT$5 : Double Yellow-headed Amazon (雙黃頭亞馬遜鸚鵡)
Taiwan (1999)
23rd April, 2009. National Palace Museum, Shihlin
27th April, 2009. Hongkong

Once again, the cover franked with four Chinese ancient paintings from National Palace Museum. Since 1997, post office of Taiwan issued 5 sets of such ancient bird paintings and here is the second set feature four different parrots. Those paintings were drawn by unknown painters in Ching dynasty. However, China doesn't have wild live or origin live parrots, so parrots have been imported for pet market in China more than 100 years history.

These four parrots can be found in different area, which located in forest of west Africa, Topical forest of Brazil or Australia. They are still famous and popular pets nowadays. The cover with Congo Grey Parrot illustration, originally for Sao Tome e Principe WWF issue.

Birds in Pyongyang zoo

From left to right :
12 won : Stanley Crane (藍蓑衣鶴) ; 70 won : Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
120 won : Herring Gull (銀鷗) ; 140 won : Black Crowned Crane (黑冕鶴)
Korea, DPR of (2009)
30th April, 2009. Pyongyang
24th April, 2009. Hongkong

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Korea Central Zoo in Pyongyang, the post office of North Korea issues a set of stamp features four different birds, however they can't be found in wild area of this country. Stanley Crane appears the grasslands of south part of Africa, with beautiful grey-blueish feather on the back ; Black Crowned Crane lives in west Africa to east Africa, same as Stanley Crane, it is easily can be obverse in grasslands, it also a national bird of Nigeria. Northern Goshawk wildly can be found in North America, most part of Eurasia, perhaps include Korea Peninsular and Herring Gull are very common in offshore of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

Unfortunately, the cover sent before day of issue and arrival postmark is cancelled on 6 days before the day. Anyway it still a beautiful first day cover.

Prey of birds, Sweden

L : Short-eared Owl (短耳鴞) ; R : White-tailed Eagle (白尾鷲)
Sweden (2009)
26th March, 2009. Stockholm (first day postmark)
8th April, 2009. Stockholm

Sweden Post issued a set of stamps feature 4 preys, they are commonly can be found in this country and other northern countries from Norway to Russia. Follow the style of Swedish stamps, four stamps used traditional intaglio multicolour processor to print the stamp in reel format. Of course, I must say thanks to Sweden Post of their kindly help, their help was beyond my imagine.

Actually I don't like osprey or eagle, due to their size are too large and like catch small species. This pair of covers, illustrated an osprey caught a fish in pound, but printed in colour and black-and-write versions respectively.

L : Western Osprey (魚鷹) ; R : Eurasian Sparrowhawk (北雀鷹)
Sweden (2009)
26th March, 2009. Stockholm (first day postmark)
8th April, 2009. Stockholm

Postage due labels

From top to bottom :
10p : Macaroni Penguin (馬可羅尼企鵝) ; 1p : Magellanic Penguin (麥哲倫企鵝)
3p : Gentoo Penguin (巴布亞企鵝) ; 5p : King Penguin (國王企鵝)
Falkland Islands (2005)
20th August, 2008. Stanley
4th September, 2008. Stanley

Penguins from Falkland Islands again, these four species have been shown here but now they appear on the postage due labels of Falkland Islands. The place was issued a set of 9 postage due labels features five different penguins normally can be found in there. Thanks Falkland Philatelic Bureau of their kindly help of a set of covers, above example franks with one 10p aircraft definitive stamp and dues 17p of domestic postage, so it should pay the charge of 34p.

Eurasian Woodcock

Eurasian Woodcock (丘鷸)
Belgium (2009)
4th April, 2009. Brussels (with first day special postmark)
16th April, 2009. Hongkong

Thanks Thomas his great help of this nice first day cover, he helped me obtain the autograph of the stamp designer - André Buzin, the famous animal artists and designer of belgian bird definitive stamps ! It really lets me surprise. Seem I must continue to illustrate self first day cover of this series in future.

Woodcock is a very common species can be found in Europe and Asia, it's food normally earthworms. Interesting that it likes lay in the dead leaves on the ground, and suddenly flies away when human approaching it closer as the colour nearly same as dead leaves, eyes located in higher area of each side of head can see 360º monocular vision.

Illustration on the cover shows the woodcock catching a earthworm on the ground, which full of dead leaves.

Mikado Pheasant

Mikado Pheasant (帝雉)
Taiwan (2008)
7th March, 2008. Hualien (features special postmark)

Taiwan has been issued six sets of bird stamps in last year and shown three here before, now is other one illustrated Mikado Pheasant, which the species is endemic to Taiwan. It has shiny blueish feathers with long tail and widely lives in middle and high level of Alishan, now it maybe become a national bird of this country.

Black Grouse

Black Grouse (黑琴雞)
Estonia (2008)
3rd April, 2008. Tallinn (features with special postmark)

A first day cover from Estonia again, Black Grouse is the last year of bird of Estonia. Black Grouse mainly lives in north part of Eurasia, south of Russia and north of China. Stamp shown us the male which has blue-greenish feathers and red cap, cover shown female of the bird, it is very different than male bird.

The cover sent from Tallinn on the day of issue, extra postage feature two Barnacle Geese (黑雁) stamps, was issued on 1995 with another stamp illustrated two species live in Matsalu wetland reserve area.

Birds in French Guyana

Left : Channel-billed Toucan (藍面巨嘴鳥)
Right : Purple-throated Carib (紫喉蜂鳥)
France (2003)
27th November, 2007. Moselle
6th December, 2007. Hongkong

Sometimes, mails from dealers are only with machine or computer postmark, as they don't know me collect the cover. Above example is one with such oddly French inkjet computer postmark and I needed couple of times to find where did the cover from. Hope I don't have any wrong if it is Moselle's postmark.

Two stamps are illustrated birds live in French Guyana, overseas territory of France in South America. Channel-billed Toucan and Purple-throated Carib are commonly can be found in topical rainforest or the islands of Caribbean respectably. French Guyana is in the south of Caribbean and also north-east of South America, so there is no surprise to find the birds from these two areas.

Cory's Shearwater

Atlantic Cory's Shearwater (大西洋猛鸌)
Madeira (2007)
18th June, 2007. Estremoz (Portugal)

Atlantic Cory's Shearwater is one of a subspecies of Cory's Shearwater, a large shearwater in brown colour. Mostly lives in Mediterranean Sea and migrate to Atlantic Ocean, offshore of Europe to Cape Verde Islands in each Springs, but it different than Cape Verde Shearwater (佛得角猛鸌), which is endemic to the country. Now these two species listed as Near Threatened.

The mail sent by me during visiting Portugal, Estremoz is a relax place with attractive castle. The woman in the post office very kindly to help me affix the extra stamps, although one of them is damaged.

Teals of Belgium

From left to right :
Eurasian Teal (小水鴨) ; Northern Shoveler (琵嘴鴨)
Northern Pintail (針尾鴨)
Belgium (1989)
7th April, 2008. Antwerpen

A mail from dealer again, it comes from Belgium with three teal stamps issued on twenty years ago, not special as I have been shown those three species in here before. The special of these bird stamps are in large format, different than the Buzin definitive and other special stamps. The pity thing that the postmark not cover all stamps, it is because why I don't like machine postmark, even it is more clear than hand-postmark.

Birds of Malaysia

From left to right :
50sen : Great Argus (大眼斑雉)

20sen : Mountain Peacock-Pheasant (銅尾孔雀雉)
RM1 : Crestless Fireback (棕尾火背鷴) ; 30sen : Crested Argus (鳳頭眼斑雉)
Malaysia (2000)
30th March, 2009. Cyberjava, Sepang

Thanks for Ronny of this nice registered mail, the mail franked whole set of bird stamps issued on 2000, seem it is too colourful and not looks comfortable. Those four species are very common in Malaysia, included Malaya Peninsula and Bomeo. I don't have any details of these species except Great Argus, it is the most beautiful bird in south-east Asia as it has full of blue spots under wings, and also a pair of big eyes.

Great Egret

Great Egret (大白鷺)
Belarus (2008)
13th March, 2008. Pochtamt, Minsk

Great Egret was the last year of the bird of Belarus, it is very common in Eurasia, Africa and Australia, which widely lives in fields, bank of rivers, pounds and wetlands. It is the largest species of Egretta (白鷺屬), looks similar with Little Egret (小白鷺) but larger and the tail is more beautiful.

Stamp and the cover illustrated the Great Egret taking rest on the branch and preparing to fly. But the worse thing of the illustrations are not show the beautiful tail.

Tufted Puffin

Tufted Puffin (花魁鳥)
Japan (1992)
13th November, 2008. Nemuro, Hokkaido

This species is similar with Atlantic Puffin (北極海鸚) but it only can be found in northern Pacific Ocean. As it looks like Atlantic Puffin, birdwatchers outlook be attracted by its sharped orange-yellow bill, and also its golden hair behind ears, this feature is mainly differnet between Atlantic Puffin. Nemuro is located in the easternmost of Hokkaido, there have two islands in the Pacific Ocean called Koruri and Moyururi are conserved by government, they are paradise of seabirds include Tufted Puffin. On the left side of the Puffin stamp features one Small Copper (紅灰蝶) stamp is one of Heisei definitive stamp issued on 1997, the definitive stamps illustrated 26 different beautiful insects, birds and flowers, thanks James this nice cover.

Common Myna

Indian Myna (家八哥)
Mauritius (2006)
27th September, 2007. Nouvelle France

Common Myna is very common in India and China, people in China like feed it as a pet. Some people do not like wild live Myna as it nests in building and damage human's property or overturn the rubbish bins in urban area. Originally Mauritius doesn't have Myna, same as Australia and Madagascar, those birds introduced by French to control Red Locusts (紅翅蝗) on 1763. Stamp illustrated Myna caught a Red Locust in the Mauritius farmland.

Above envelope, also features two Ctenella Chagius (查戈斯珊瑚) stamps which issued on 2007. The information of Mauritius Post says this carol is not very common in there but can be found in the lagoons of Trou aux Biches and Mahebourg/Vieux Grand Port.

Mourning Wheatear

From left to right :

Roe Deer (野生狍) ; Greek Tortoise (希臘陸龜)
Blanford's Fox (阿富汗狐) ; Kuhl's Pipistrelle (庫氏伏翼)
Israel (2000, 2001)
17th February, 2009. Kiriat Motzkin
23rd February, 2009. Hongkong

Two covers feature two beautiful animal stamp sets which one illustrated Blanford's fox and other is four different Israelis animals, thank you for great help of Juri. The Blanford's fox set, is a part of World Wild Fund series issued on 2000, one of the stamp illustrated fox catching Mourning Wheatear (悲鵖), a species widely lives from Pakistan to Mauritania, and also farthermost to Tanzania.

As unexpected reasons, below cover spent a month to dispatch for Hongkong, while the registered cover on the above only a week.

17th February, 2009. Kiriat Motzkin

Chinese bird paintings

From left to right :
NT$5 : Yellow-throated Bunting (黃喉鵐) ; NT$9 : Green Peafowl (綠孔雀)
NT$13 : Mallard (綠頭鴨) ; NT$15 : Chinese Grey Shrike (楔尾伯勞)
Taiwan (2008)
21st March, 2009. Taoyuan

Some collectors do not think bird painting stamps are related to bird theme, as the topic is painting instead of animals, although the paintings can be identified what species drawn. Above set, issued by Taiwan to commemorate stamp exhibition held on 2008, selected four paintings from National Palace Museum collection, thank you Oliver sent me the nice cover with these bird stamps. Selected paintings were drawn by four different artists in Sung (960-1279), Yuan (1276-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) separately. The stamp set Illustrated four different species of birds, however some of them can't easy be found in Taiwan, Yellow-throated Bunting rarely fly via Taiwan when migrating and Green Peafowl only feed in zoo. Mallard and Chinese Grey Shrike are mostly can be found in mainland China.

Beautiful doves of Philippines

First row (from left to right) :
Black-naped Oriole (黃鸝) ; Amethyst Brown Dove (大褐果鳩)
Grey Imperial Pigeon (馬來灰皇鳩) ; Red Turtle Dove (火班鳩)
Pied Imperial Pigeon (斑皇鳩) ; Spotted Imperial Pigeon (點斑皇鳩)
Second row (from left to right) :
Asian Fairy Bluebird (和平鳥) ; Mindanao Bleeding-heart Pigeon (巴氏雞鳩)
Nicobar Pigeon (綠蓑鴿) ; Black-chinned Fruit Dove (黑頦果鳩)
Metallic Pigeon (白喉林鴿) ; Pink-necked Green Pigeon (紅頸綠鳩)
Philippines (2007, 2008)
19th March, 2009. Araneta Center, Cubao (Quezon City)
23rd March, 2009. Manila

After the beautiful dove covers from Fiji, today I received another beautiful dove stamps cover but sent from Philippines, which sent by Myron, thank you his great job of this mail. Those birds, mostly are endemic to Philippines, or only can be found in south-west Pacific area, such as Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia or Oceania countries.

Philippines issued a set of definitive stamps feature more than 25 beautiful birds from 2007, the block of ten is one of them. Beside of this se-tangent block, this cover also franked with other two definitive stamps. However, little bit disappointed thing is the printing quality is not good enough.