Richtersveld

Namaqua Sandgrouse (納馬誇沙雞)
South Africa (2010)
1st October, 2010. Tshwane

It is the second post related to Africa during February, totally I will show three in this month. South Africa continued to issue wild animals during 2010, on September a set of 5 stamps illustrate different species to be found, or common species which live in Richtersveld, a UNESCO heritage site inscripted on 2007. It was the third set of South African stamps related to birds in 2010, included International Year of Biodiversity and South Africa bird series : Grassland Birds.

Richtersveld is a mountainous desert landscape in the north Namaqualand of South Africa, sitting in the border of Namibia. The area keeps wide ranges of animals and plants, and also there is a home to Nama, traditional residents of South Africa. Namaqua Sandgrous is an endemic species to be found in Richtersveld, and also Angola, Botswana and Namibia.

Birds of Macedonia

From left to right :
Eastern Imperial Eagle (白肩鵰) ; Eurasian Hoopoe (戴勝)
Little Egret (小白鷺) ; Glossy Ibis (白頭䴉鸛) ; Purple Heron (紫鷺)
Grey Heron (蒼鷺)
Macedonia (2001, 2008, 2000)
25th December, 2010. Gjorche Petrov

After couple of days, I got a mail from former Yugoslavia country again ; it is the forth after Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. Thanks Ana of this cover and selected variety issues from different period, included two WWF issues : Eastern Imperial Eagle originally to be found in south-east of Europe, west and middle Asian countries. As the inhabit loss, population was decreasing and now it is rarely to find them in Hungary and Pannonian Basin. Hoopoe originally is a common bird, however also the inhabit loss, population in south-east Europe is decreasing and endanger in Macedonia and nearby countries.

Herons and Egrets are common birds in the Europe and Asia, they are popular and famous to bird-watchers.

Abbotsbury Swannery

Mute Swan (疣鼻天鵝)

Great Britain (1993)
21st August, 2010. Abbotsbury, Dorset
21st August, 2010. Dorset & East Devon

Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks during 1040's which has a monastery at Abbotsbury, a small village in the Dorset, and also inside the area of Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO heritage site in Great Britain. The swannery was existence on 1393 when the records written, but probably existed before that.

Abbotsbury Swannery is the only colony of Mute Swan in the world, over 600 swans are feed inside the farm. Naturally Mute Swan is very common to be found in the world, mostly wild life swans are breed in waterside and migrate to south during winter. It distributed in Europe and Asia while North Africa in winter. The swan does not sound in its whole life, it specially has an orange bill bordered with black, ecognisabled by its pronounced knob atop the bill. Today, Abbotsbury Swannery is a tourist attractive as it is a part of UNESCO heritage site in Dorset, where begins from Exmouth to Swanage, total length 153km coastline.

Mute Swan only has one partner in its life, when they found a partner, the couple always play a dance in the lake. As the reason, Mute Swans frequency appear on Valentina cards, greetings stamps or related products.

Herons & Egrets

From left to right :
800K : Eastern Cattle Egret (牛背鷺) ; 3400K : Eastern Great Egret (大白鷺)
700K : Intermediate Egret (中白鷺) ; 3100K : Grey Heron (蒼鷺)
Laos (2001)
Top : Red Junglefowl (茶花雞)
Laos (2005)
30th August, 2010. Vientiane

This time, I don't want to talk about birds, as these four egrets and heron are commonly to be found in south-east Asian countries.. Laos, perhaps is a secret country to western since they considered to close its country in mid-70's years and opens to the world on 1991. Nowadays, except its capital Vientiane, few of people understand the country except its famous opium in Golden Triangle area.

Above cover with a great help of a stamp dealer in Vientiane, it may be an only stamp dealer in this country. The stamps look different than single stamps which have white frames, as they were come from Philanippon '01 souvenir sheet. However it is disappointed to the sheet not printed in high quality while the colour almost blur and overall not sharp enough, I do think the reason is the stamps printed in Vietnam, instead of most new issues printed in China.

The original souvenir sheet shown as below. Please note that there have a serial code on the top-right corner.

Post & Go labels (II)

From left to right :
Common Blackbird (烏鶇) ; Common Magpie (喜鵲) ; Eurasian Collared-Dove (灰斑鳩)
European Greenfinch (金翅雀) ; Long-tailed Tit (銀喉長尾山雀) ; Chaffinch (蒼頭燕雀)
Great Britain (2011)
24th January, 2011. Trafalgar Square, London

After three months of first bird theme Post & Go labels, the Post Office released second set on January also features 6 common birds. The new set similar to first sixes are illustrated by Peter Horridge but not colourful as first sixes. Once again, thanks to Yoram sent me this cover on the day of issue. As before, the labels are obtained from Trafalgar Square according to the code imprinted on labels.

Dusk at Poyang Lake

Dusk at Poyang Lake (江西 鄱陽湖)
China (2001)
5th August, 2008. Gulou, Nanjing

Very sorry I forget to show you this beautiful pre-paid postcard two years ago ! It was sent by a friend who lives in Nanjiang. Poyang Lake is famous wetland conservation in Jiangxi, the national reserve founded on June, 1983. Now it is the important bird-watching paradise in mainland China.

The picture Dusk at Poyang Lake drawn by unknown artist, who illustrated a group of Oriental Stork (東方白鸛) active in the bank of Poyang Lake during dusk. In the past, Oriental Stork wrongly defined as sub-species of White Stork (白鸛) but they are inhabiting in different places. In post-19980s, they divided to two species and Oriental Stork now is an endangered species in eastern countries.