Many-coloured Fruit-dove again

Many-coloured Fruit-Dove (雜色果鳩)
Samoa (2011)
2nd September, 2011. Apia
10th September, 2011. Hong-Kong

I use 'again' in the topic, because the species had shown here already. A nice water-coloured Fiji fruit dove stamp set featured same bird on 2009. Now it comes to Samoa, be a part of collection of WWF series. Perhaps it coordinated by same stamp agency service, the design seems very similar to Vanuatu issue and the stamps are issued on same day.

Beside of Fiji, Many-coloured Fruit-dove also inhabit in Samoa. However as the islands are small enough, population of the dove in the islands are too small, the quantity closes endangered. But, of course, it overall is not endangered species in IUCN list.

Birds of Macao

Clockwise from top-left :
1,50pts. : Light-vented Bulbul (白頭鵯) ; 2,50pts. : Spotted Dove (珠頸斑鳩)
3,50pts. : Yellow Bittern (黃斑葦鳽) ; 4,50pts. : Greater Coucal (褐翅鴉鵑)
Macao (2011)
11th September, 2011. Central

After 16 years, birds become actor of the Macao stamps again. Since Macao returned to China, development and tourism industry becomes only a principal policy of this small special administration. In this 10 years, a wild wetland between Taipa and Coloane be reclamation - now it called Cotai for casinos. Two special protected areas in Taipa and Ka-Ho, are partly be legally developed. Greenish spaces in Macao are decreased in this period so rarely to see wild birds in urban or country area.

Anyway, to commemorate 50th anniversary of foundation of WWF, Macao Post still issued a set of stamps related to natural, it is the first set in natural theme since 1999. Four species feature in stamps are very common ! At least they are to be found easily in the parks or countrysides in most south-east China cities.

Clockwise from top-left :
1,50pts. : Light-vented Bulbul (白頭鵯) ; 2,50pts. : Spotted Dove (珠頸斑鳩)
3,50pts. : Yellow Bittern (黃斑葦鳽) ; 4,50pts. : Greater Coucal (褐翅鴉鵑)
Macao (2011)
11th September, 2011. Central

Wild birds of sub-Saharan Africa - Eritrea (1)

Front
From left to right :
Bateleur (短尾雕) ; Red-billed Quelea (紅嘴奎利亞雀) ; Secretarybird (蛇鷲)
Eritrea (1997)
16th December, 2010. Asmara

In 2008, I had tried to send a request for a mail from Eritrea, one of newest countries in East Africa (the most newest is South Sudan, also in East Africa), unfortunately I affixed old currency Birr stamps and they are not valid for postage, the cover only sent back to me through package. This time, I collected couple of new currency Nakfa stamps and decided send again on late-2010. This cover and a maxicard which will be shown next time are the productions by Eritrean Philatelic Bureau.

This cover selected three species which are inhabiting in and endemic to sub-Sahara area. In Eritrea, as the country located in the east of sub-Sahara area and beside Red Sea, those three species, also includes below mammal Aardwolf, are fairly to be be found them in this nation.

Back
Aardwolf (土狼)
Eritrea (2001)

SOAR again

Goldfinch (紅額金翅雀)
Ireland (2011)
21st July, 2010. Dublin

After a year, second series of biodiversity SOAR was issued on July. As well as before, 8 stamps only has one features bird and it is Goldfinch. This time I arranged a maxicard and first day cover for the issue which are shown as above and below. As the labels more popular to postal customers, definitive stamps becoming useless in post office, I believe that labels to be replaced definitive stamps in future.

Goldfinch, and the definitive stamps as below, are regular and common species to Ireland.

From left to right :
Birds, definitive
20c : Northern Lapwing (鳳頭麥雞) ; 7c : European Stonechat (歐洲石䳭)
Ireland (2002, 2003)
SOAR
55c : Red Deer (馬鹿)
Ireland (2011)
21st July, 2010. Dublin

Hyacinth Macaw

Hyacinth Macaw (紫藍金剛鸚鵡)
Great Britain (2011)
22nd March, 2011. Trafalgar Square, London

Hyacinth Macaw is the largest species of Psittaciformes (鸚形目), which has unique body, charmed jewelery blued feather are attracted to pet feeder. The macaw is endemic to Amazon tropical palm forests or swamps of southern Brazil, east of Bolivia and north of Paraguay. As it is a popular pet of people, the macaw has big demand in pet market and caused wild macaws are being illegal bird trading. Moreover according to the over development of forest area, their inhabit area are damaged or lost. In 80's year over 10,000 birds be caught and most of them traded to black-market of Brazil, now only 3,000 wild macaws to be found in this area.

The stamp as above comes from souvenir sheet of Great Britain, which commemorated 50th anniversary of Worldwide Fund of Nature. Whole set products include 10 stamps with worldwide endangered mammals and souvenir sheet features 4 species to be found in Amazon forest. But disappointingly none of them related to Great Britain.

Today is a big day as it was a foundation day of Worldwide Fund for Nature in 50 years ago. The orginasation registered at Morges, Switzerland on 11th September by Sir Julian Huxley who is a British biologist.

Eurasian Curlew

Eurasian Curlew (白腰杓鷸)
Belarus (2011)
4th April, 2011. Minsk

As before, Belarus Post issues a stamp feature 'bird of the year' in each spring. This year, is a very common bird curlew in Europe. In historical recording, curlew to be thought that it has large population and not qualify as threatened. However in recent record it is incorrect and the status in IUCN list became Near Threatened in 2008.

MaxicardEurasian Curlew (白腰杓鷸)
Belarus (2011)
14th March, 2011. Minsk

Massena's Lorikeet

Massena's Lorikeet (馬仙納氏吸蜜鸚鵡)
Vanuatu (2011)
23th August, 2011. Port Vila

After a year, Vanuatu Post issues again WWF series to commemorate 50th anniversary of the organisation, which found in 1951. This time features beautiful and attractive Massena's Lorikeet in strip of 4 format. The species not new to Vanuatu stamps but in first time to use illustration style to produce stamps.

Massena's Lorikeet is a sub-species of Rainbow Lorikeet (彩虹吸蜜鸚鵡), this complicate species has 21 sub-species which have different features and inhabit area. For Massena's Lorikeet, it endemic to Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, and some of them rarely to Vanuatu, further south of its traditional inhabit area.

As above introduction, Massena's Lorikeet is not the first time shown on the stamps. Below aerogramme, issued couple of years features three Vanuatu domestic birds, one on the left side is Massena's Lorikeet, the imprinted postage is Eastern Reef Heron and also on the backside is Vanuatu Kingfisher, which is endemic bird of Vanuatu.

Imprinted stamp : Eastern Reef Heron (太平洋岩鷺)
Illustration : Massena's Lorikeet (馬仙納氏吸蜜鸚鵡) and
Vanuatu Kingfisher (和栗腹翡翠)
Vanuatu (2007)
23th August, 2011. Port Vila