Stanley Crane

Stanley Crane (藍鶴)
South Africa (2008)
6th January, 2010. Cape Town

A mail from Cape Town again, actually I am little bit confuse of the respond my question of his last mail. Thus I don't have ability and give up to solve the problem. Anyway I must say thanks to him as he still uses nice bird stamps for me. As last mail, this crane stamp is come from same bird series issued on 2008. Stanley Crane, formally called Blue Crane is a national bird of South Africa, it measured eliminate 100 to 120 cm tall, with bluish feather and white crest, also a pink bill and dark-grey tail. As the damage of inhabit areas and facing attack of wild dogs, it is being extinct.

Black-browed Albatross

Black-browed Albatross (黑眉信天翁)
Falkland Islands (2009)
6th January, 2010. Fox Bay

After three half years, I received a mail again from Falkland Islands. No surprisingly and of course it arranged by the philatelic bureau. Thanks for their great help, and also in the meantime, they helped me send a registered mail from British Antarctic Territory but it still on the way to Hongkong. However I was stupid as I forgot to order newest WWF stamp. Not same as before, the cover sent from Fox Bay, the second post office still works in Falkland Islands. The territory, nowadays has three post offices, they are Stanley Port, Fox Bay and one BFPO inside military base (no. 655).

It is not first cover with Black-browed Albatross stamp, the last one also from Falkland Islands, is a definitive stamp. Black-browed Albatross is an endangered albatross widely lives in sub-Antarctic Ocean and its islands, also further south of America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The population quickly decreasing to estimated 150,000 pairs in 2005 while originally in 1,000,000 pairs in 1980. In this year, there has about 400,000 birds were breeding in Falkland Islands.

The illustrated cover shown a Black-browed Albatross flying over a cliff, while the block of four illustrates the bird over the Southern Ocean.

An hidden mail of 2009

From let to right :
$2,00 : Violaceous Euphonia (紫歌雀)
50c : Copper-rumped Hummingbird (銅色腰蜂鳥)
$5,00 : Green Honeycreeper (紫蓝旋蜜雀) ; $1,00 : Bananaquit (蕉森鶯)
Trinidad and Tobago (1990, reprint : 1997)
4th September, 2009. Business Centre, Port of Spain
22nd March, 2010. Hongkong

In last post shown a last mail of 2009, it really last as it was cancelled on December 31, the last day of 2009. However it does not last of the last, today I received one mail sent from Trinidad by Matthew, thanks for his great mail and and it was terrible that this snail mail spent 6 months in the journey. The mail affixed four different bird definitive stamps issued on 1990. However the stamp Green Honeycreeper ($5,00) is mirror different than other as it was teased out from Hongkong '97 stamp exhibition souvenir sheet, and the bottom of stamp indicated 1997 instead of 1990.

The first two birds, are very rare appear on the world wide stamps and only these two recorded. Violaceous Euphonia, a small finch with yellowish underparts and blue-black upperparts, it locality called Semp is a resident to be found in South America, Trinidad and Tobago. Copper-rumped Hummingbird is a small hummingbird, as well breed areas as Violaceous Euphonia, however the activity range only to Venezuela. Green Honeycreeper to be found in tropical area of America, from Mexico to Columbia, it is in beautiful green colour with light-yellow bill. Bananaquit, mostly appears in south Mexico and West Indies islands. Four birds are not endangered species and very common in Trinidad and Tobago.

Last mail of 2009

From left to right :
Indian Black Eagle (林雕) ; Black Kite (黑鳶)
Crested Serpent-eagle (大冠鷲) ; Hodgson's Hawk Eagle (赫氏角鷹)
Taiwan (1998)
31st December, 2009. Chang Chun Road, Taipei

Thanks to James he sent me the cover on the last day of 2009, and also it is my last mail postmarked on 2009. Although the envelope does not look special, it affixed with a set of conversation stamp set issued on 1998. Eight stamps illustrate 4 preys of birds in se-tangent strip format. Those birds are very common in mountain areas of Taiwan and Far East.

Indian Black Eagle, formally called Black Eagle, is the second long wings of Taiwanese eagles, mostly appears in Pinglin, the north-east forest of Taiwan. Black Kite is a common bird in south-east Asia, and it appears in most area of the country. Crested Serpent-eagle is a middle size prey of birds in the world, widely lives in the southern Asia to south-east Asia. Mountain Hawk Eagle (鷹雕) normally to be found in the pin forests of high mountain area and it has 4 sub-species ; the Taiwan one called Hodgson's Hawk Eagle S. n. fokiensis is hardly to find them in natural area.

Jackal Buzzard and Lammergeier

FrontR3 : Jackal Buzzard (非洲鵟) ; R2,50 : Lammergeier (髭兀鷹)
Lesotho (2001)
20th December, 2009. Maseru

These two species are common bird of preys in southern Africa, Jackal Buzzard which specified as three sub-species widely live in Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia and southern African countries. Two of species to be found in Ethiopia or Somalia as known as Augur Buzzard (暗棕鵟) and Archer's Buzzard (索馬里鵟) respectively. Jackal Buzzard is in blown colour in juvenile and changes to black in adult while it measured up to 60cm long. Lammergeier, also called Bearded Vulture, is widely live in eastern Europe, Middle Asia and grassland of East Africa, also some of birds can be found in whole country of Lesotho and partly of eastern South Africa.

This registered mail, sent from capital of Lesotho in late-December of last year, bears a unique UPU standard registration barcode label. The number RR000004095LS is the smallest UPU standard registration number I collected, while the second one was sent from St Helena numbered as RJ000009937SH.

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Seabirds of North Keeling

L : White-tailed Tropicbird (白尾熱帶鳥) and Austropacific Masked Booby (藍臉鰹鳥/西太平洋亞種)
R : Great Frigatebird (小軍艦鳥) and White Tern (白玄鷗)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (1995)
21st December, 2009. Cocos (Keeling) Island

North Keeling Island is located in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an oversea territory of Australia. It is in the east of Indian Ocean and part of island now is national park. The park, named Pulu National Park was established on the 12th December of 1995, this small G-sharp island attracts many seabirds and sealife. Especially Red-footed Boody (紅腳鰹鳥), Cocos Buff-banded Rail (科科斯島紅嘴秧雞) and the Cocos Angelfish (科科斯神仙萬花筒).

Above two stamps come from the souvenir sheet Seabirds of North Keeling, which was commemorated the establishment of the Pulu National Park. Four seabirds are quite common in this island and the area of Indian Ocean.

Beside seabirds, there to be found some endangered crabs, this cover features four different crabs live in Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Owls of the world (2)

From left to right :
$1,00 : Northern Hawk-owl (猛鴞) ; 90c : Tawny Owl (灰林鴞)
20c : Barn Owl (倉鴞) ; 10c : Eurasian Eagle-owl (鵰鴞)
50c : Great Grey Owl (烏林鴞)
St Vincent and the Grenadines (2001)
6th November, 2009. Kingstown, St Vincent

Here is the last part of items from St Vincent. Originally this cover was prepared for send back the maxicard, seems the philatelic bureau is very kindly, it always pack all the things into their self-cover and affixed with extra stamps for free. So, generally speaking, above envelope did not been postally used.

Northern Hawk-owl to be found in northern America and Eurasia, lives in the border of woodland. However it is resident so the owl hardly to be found in south, included West Indies and St Vincent. Great Grey-Owl mostly breeds in the range from east of Quebec, Canada to Alaska, the west coast of America. Also very common in Eurasia from Finland to northern Asia. As well as Northern Hawk-owl, the bird is resident, however it may flies to south if food scarce.

Beside of Northern Hawk-owl, four species have been shown here, below are the links for reference.
Barn Owl : Great Britain
Eurasian Eagle-owl : Belarus, Bulgaria, Portugal
Great Grey Owl : Belarus
Tawny Owl : Belgium / Estonia, Vietnam

Beach Thick-knee

Beach Stone-curlew (澳洲石鴴)
Vanuatu (2009)
25th November, 2009. Port Vila

In 2009, there have 20 of stamp sets included in WWF series, and 8 series related to birds. However due to many situations and unexpected reasons, I only ordered stamps issued by Sao Tomé e Príncipe, Malawi, North Korea and Vanuatu ; and other four will be purchased in future. In here I would show third one issued by Vanuatu, an official first day cover by Vanuatu Post. The last one, an aerogramme issued by North Korea, to be shown on early April.

Beach Stone-curlew is a large sea bird to be found in coastlines of South-east Asia and southern Pacific countries. Mostly visible from the range of the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Malaya Peninsula, Indonesia to those islands in south Pacific include Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The bird was easily to be found in above area but after the over development, the population decrease due to the damage of inhabited area. Now it listed as Threatened species in IUCN list.

Thanks Vanuatu Philatelic Bureau to send me this nice first day cover, in the meantime there have another first day cover received, which is a beautiful stamp set Frangipani (赤素馨花).

French DOM collection (4) - Guadeloupe

Front

Purple-throated Carib (紫喉蜂鳥)
France (2005)
2nd December, 2009. Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe
12th December, 2009. Hongkong

Not any surprising, the Purple-throated Carib has been appeared in last mails and they have been shown here, but these mails are sent from France. Now I would show the new one, also the last one in the series of overseas department of France. After this mail, I have collected at least one mail from each overseas departments or territories of France. Please check the link on the right side for other images.

Purple-throated Carib is one of beautiful hummingbird commonly but endemic to Caribbean islands. As same as its name, the throat is in purple-red colour, and body in black. With greenish wings and blueish tail. It is easy to be found in low-land tropical forests or degraded former forest.

After this mail, the 'French DOM collection' is finished. Since prepared on 2 October and received them on 13 December, only 2 months to fininsh this project, and I used 70% French mint stamps of my collection to make the letters in correct postage rate. The very special features of this mail are the Guadeloupe postmark in reddish colour and there have two arrival postmarks of Hongkong.

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