White Wagtail

White Wagtail (白鶺鴒)
Hongkong (2006)
7th February, 2009. Leimukshui

White Wagtail is very common migrating bird in Hongkong, mostly can be found in parks located in New Territories, of course many of birds are live in Maipo and rounded wetlands. This species commonly breeds in Eurasia area and flies to south like south-east Asia or Africa for winter time.

Above cover is come from a parcel so the postmarks are not clear enough, the cover also featured five Large Faun (串珠環蝶) butterfly stamps issued on 2007. Below mail franked with another butterfly stamp from the same stamp set, this butterfly called Spotted Royal.

Spotted Royal (豹斑雙尾灰蝶)
Hongkong (2007)
11th February, 2009. Kwai Fong
12th February, 2009. Shatin Central

Cheating

From top to bottom :
5000d : Pied Harrier (花澤鵟) ; 400d : European Honey Buzzard (鵰頭鷹)
400d : Ornate Hawk-Eagle (飾冠鷹雕) ; 12000d : White-tailed Eagle (白尾鷲)
3000d : Common Buzzard (鵟) ; 400d : Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
Vietnam (1998)
22nd May, 2009. Hanoi
5th June, 2009. Hongkong

During the stamp exhibition of Hongkong, I passed few covers to some postal authorities which have booth at the exhibition. Above example is came from Vietnam, I feel very disappointed of their service as it is not sent by registered mail, especially I paid extra cost and reminded the staff must do it in Vietnam. I think cheating or corruption is not a big problem in there, as friends or travelling book always remind me those habit is popular in governor departments.

I don't want to use many words to introduce this stamp set, as most of species have been appeared on this blog and they can't be found in Vietnam except Northern Goshawk, Buzzard and Pied Harrier.

Collared Bush Robin

Collared Bush Robin (栗背林鴝)
Taiwan (1999)
4th July, 2008. Alishan, Chiayi
10th July, 2008. Hongkong

Collared Bush Robin is a small bird endemic to Taiwan, it mostly can be found in middle to high level hill areas. Male with colourful feathers but female only in grey-brown coloured. Alishan is one of living place of Collared Bush Robin, visitor can easily find and obverse the birds, and there also is a famous tourism sight in Taiwan.

On this aerogramme also featured three species Mikado Pheasant (帝雉), Varied Tit (赤腹山雀) and Himalayan Tree Pie (樹鵲) which issued on 2007. Thanks James for this amazing aerogramme.

Owls of Bulgaria

From left to right :
0,10 L : Eurasian Eagle-Owl (鵰鴞) ; 0,50 L : Little Owl (縱紋腹小鴞)
0,60 L : Ural Owl (長尾林鴞) ; 1,50 L : Eurasian Pygmy Owl (花頭鵂鶹)
Bulgaria (2009)
30th May, 2009. Sofia

Bulgaria Post issued a set of owl stamps during its stamp exhibition held on Sofia, seem owl stamps are quite popular in Europe as there have many countries have been issued on this year. Three owls of this issue have been shown in here before, only Eurasian Pygmy Owl is new. Thanks childish and Ivan sent me two covers, but sorry I only scanned one as they are similar.

Eurasian Pygmy Owl is the smallest owl which can be found in Europe, mostly lives in Northern and Central Europe, and east to Siberia. It normally can have six to seven years live but some owls will be longer.

Hawks of Australia

From left to right :
49c : Australian Kestrel (澳洲隼) ; 98c : Red Goshawk (赤鷹)
98c : Spotted Harrier (斑鷂) ; 49c : Wedge-tailed Eagle (楔尾鷹)
Australia (2001)
26th May, 2009. Hawks Nest, New South Wales

From May 26, Hawks Nest begins to use new pictorial postmark, where is a small town outside Sydney 220 km. Postmark features two hawks and one beach ball, as the town nearest Come Island Nature Reserve and beaches face Pacific Ocean. However it is not easy to identify these two hawks on the postmark, maybe they are Red Goshawk and Australian Kestrel.

Four eagles and hawks are very common in Australia, but they are live in different places. In New South Wales, only Red Goshawk and Australian Kestrel can be found as Spotted Harrier does not live in seashore of Australia and Wedge-tailed only can be found in desert area of Australia.

Pheasants of Bhutan

From left to right :
2Nu : Kalij Pheasant (黑鷴) ; 8Nu : Satyr Tragopan (紅胸角雉)
5Nu : Blyth's Tragopan (灰腹角雉) ; 15Nu : Himalayan Monal (棕尾虹雉)
Bhutan (2003)
22nd May, 2009. Thimphu

Bhutan is one of secret countries in the world, it was closed until 60's year of last century, no visitor could go inside the country. However many people known that it is the most happiness country in the world now but it still is a poor country in southern Asia. As the country lays on the southern Himalayas, weather is cool in whole year so many species live in there.

Above WWF stamps are illustrated four Phasianidae (雉科) species which can be found in south Himalayas, those species are resident birds widely live in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and northern part of India, Burma and Thailand.

Ibis of Cambodia

From left to right bottom :
600R : Black-headed Ibis (黑頭白環) ; 2100R : Giant Ibis (巨鷺)
3500R : White-shouldered Ibis (白肩黑䴉) ; 800R : Glossy Ibis (白頭䴉鸛)
1500R : Bengal Florican (南亞鴇)
Cambodia (2006)
30th May, 2009. Phnom Penh
5th June, 2009. Hongkong

A set of beautiful bird stamps affixed on the cover sent from the capital of Cambodia, it looks very colourful but seems oddly, some colours are too sharp and do not match well. It was a latest bird issue of this country illustrate six resident birds of Cambodia, however back issues of this country are not in good image for collectors as most of stamps don't related to Cambodia and not for postal used.

Those five ibis are endemic to Cambodia or widely live in Far East to southern Indian. two of these six stamps, values 800R and 2400R also illustrate two more species on the background, they are Indian Spot-billed Duck (印度花嘴鴨) and Lesser Whistling Duck (栗樹鴨) separately, they are very common ducks in south-east Asia.

Murphy's Petrel

Murphy's Petrel (墨菲氏圓尾鸌)
Pitcairn Islands (2004)
22nd May, 2009. Adamstown

A very special cover from Pitcairn Islands, affixed with full set of Murphy's Petrel stamps, it designed as se-tanget format so the five stamps look like one picture. Murphy's Petrel mostly only occurs in South Pacific nesting from Austral to Pitcairn Islands, however some birds can be found in off coast of south Hawaii or farther to Pacific coast of United States.

Pitcairn Islands is in the middle of South Pacific with only 48 residents, it is not easy to visit as the complicated route. The hardest journey is leave the island, where doesn't have any schedule ship from Pitcairn Islands to Fiji or Vanuatu.

Barn Owl and Eurasian Kestrel

Up : Barn Owl (倉鴞) and Down : Eurasian Kestrel (紅隼)
Great Britain (2003)
14th July, 2008. Great Portland Street, London

It is an interesting stamp set issued by Great Britain illustrate their flying motion of two prey of birds, Bran Owl and Eurasian Kestrel are very common in this country or over the world. Beside two poles, they can easily be found. Eurasian Kestrel lives in field or grassland of hill area, normally actives at nightfall independency. Barn Owl only actives at night live in forest area, coloured grey-white with wide wings and long legs. Rodent (齧齒目) is its main food, some Barn Owls can eat 7 mouse at one night.

Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Duck (鴛鴦)
Japan (1992)
15th March, 2008. Tottori Central (with pictorial postmark)

Mandarin Duck is one of common bird in north-east China and Japan, and it always appears on the folk story or oriental art of these countries, in Chinese it may related to a couple. It mostly lives and bleeds in ponds and wetlands, and migrates to south-east of China in winter. Male with colourful brown and greenish feathers with reddish beak but female only with grey coloured feathers. Although Mandarin Duck is very common, same as other species it faces illegal hunting and living place being damaged.

Mandarin Duck is symbol bird of Tottori prefecture, a small prefecture in the west of Honshū. Over 90% area are hill and mountains, the famous product is pear.