50 years of Nagaland

Great Hornbill (雙角犀鳥)
India (2013)
13th January, 2014. Bangalore International Airport

Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Myanmar to the east and Manipur to the south, it was established on 1 December 1963 to be the 16th state of the Indian Union. Nagaland is rich in flora and fauna. About one-sixth of Nagaland is under the cover of tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests, the Great Indian Hornbill is one of the most famous birds found in the state.

Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary lies in the Malappuram District of the state of Kerala in India. It spreads over a cluster of islands where the Kadalundipuzha River flows into the Arabian Sea. The Sanctuary hill is around 200 m above sea level. It is 19 km from Kozhikode city centre. It is home for the birds like Painted Stork, Asian Openbill Stork and Common Spoonbill.

Great Hornbill (雙角犀鳥) ; postmark : Painted Stork (彩鸛)
India (2013)
15th January, 2014. Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary, Kadalundi

Flamingos

Lesser Flamingo (小紅鸛)
São Tomé e Príncipe (2013)
30th May, 2013. Central

Greater Flamingo (大紅鶴)
São Tomé e Príncipe (2013)
30th May, 2013. Central

Two flamingo species are selected for this article, which issued by rare country São Tomé e Príncipe, the islands country located in Equator. Lesser Flamingo is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa with another population in India. Birds are occasionally reported from further north, but these are generally considered vagrants. And another one, Greater Flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe.

Although São Tomé e Príncipe is far away from Africa mainland, two flamingos still to be found in there.

Owls of Togo

Verreaux's Eagle-owl (乳黃鵰鴞) ; Pel's Fishing-Owl (橫斑漁鴞)
Togo (2010)
25th November, 2013. Pagouda

African Wood-Owl (非洲林鴞)
Togo (2010)
25th November, 2013. Pagouda

Here are three cards returned from Togo Philatelic Office, thanks to their coordinate for the postmark, although they are not match the common rules of FIP. Pagouda is a town nearby Benin, the forest in this area commonly to be found variety owls, above are three of them. is a large species of owl in the Strigidae family. It feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The species prefers slow moving rivers with large overhanging trees to roost and forage from. African Wood-Owl is a medium-sized owl with dark eyes and no ear tufts. It is 30 to 36 cm long and weighs from 240 to 350 grams. It lives in Africa from Senegambia to Sudan and south to Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and on the east coast to South Africa. It lives mainly in forest and woodland though it sometimes inhabits plantations. Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is the largest African owl. This owl is the world's third heaviest living owl, after the Blakiston's Fish Owl and Eurasian Eagle-Owl and the fourth longest owl, after additionally the Great Gray Owl.