Tranqueras

Greater Rhea (美洲鴕鳥)
Uruguay (2014)
22nd July, 2014. Tranqueras

Tranqueras is a city in the Rivera Department of northeastern Uruguay.

During the first decades of the 19th century the area was known as Paso de Tranqueras because of the homonymous bridge over the Tacuarembó Grande river. In 1890 the French Marcos Bourré donated to the state some land for the construction of a railway station. The arrival of the railway became the birth point of a village which grew rapidly with hotels, stores and small industry.

Red Knot (紅腹濱鷸)
Uruguay (2013)
22nd July, 2013. Montevideo

Tristan's endemic Finches

35p : Gough Finch (高夫島雀) ; 45p : Dunn's Finch (特島雀)
50p : Nightingale Island Finch (南丁格爾地雀) ; £1,50 : Wilkins's Finch (大嘴島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)
6th August, 2014. Tristan da Cunha

Tristan’s finches traditionally were called buntings. The Gough Finch Rowettia goughhensis, was named after John Quiller Rowett, the sponsor of Shackleton’s last expedition, which called at Gough in mid-1922 after Shackleton’s death. Unfortunately, Gough Finches are now scarce on Gough Island, being largely confined to sheer coastal cliffs and high mountainous areas where they find some refuge from introduced House Mice. The mice prey on the finch’s chicks (and those of many seabird species), resulting in the finch being listed as Critically Endangered.

Tristan’s finches are equally prone to introduced predators. They once occurred at all three islands in the Tristan group, but died out on Tristan within 50 years of the island’s colonization in 1810. Fortunately, Inaccessible and Nightingale Island lack introduced mammals, and so still support healthy populations of finches.

35p : Gough Finch (高夫島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

14th April, 2015. Tristan da Cunha

45p : Dunn's Finch (特島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

14th April, 2015. Tristan da Cunha

50p : Nightingale Island Finch (南丁格爾地雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

14th April, 2015. Tristan da Cunha

£1,50 : Wilkins's Finch (大嘴島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

14th April, 2015. Tristan da Cunha

£2,00 : Inaccessible Island Finch (伊納克塞瑟布爾島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

14th April, 2015. Tristan da Cunha

£2,00 : Inaccessible Island Finch (伊納克塞瑟布爾島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)

18th June, 2014. Tristan da Cunha

Rhein-Ruhr-Posta 2015

Postmark : Little Owl (縱紋腹小鴞)

Germany (2015)
17th April, 2015. Löhne

The little owl is a bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia east to Korea, and north Africa. It is not native to Great Britain and was first introduced in 1842 by Thomas Powys[dubious – discuss] and is now naturalised. It was also successfully introduced to the South Island of New Zealand in the early 20th century.

This species is among the larger grouping of owls that is known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.

Our ecosystem

From left to right :

NT$10 : Black-faced Spoonbill (黑面琵鷺) ; NT$25 : Black-winged Stilt (黑翅長腳鷸)
Taiwan (2015)
25th April, 2015. Taipei

Zengwen River estuary wetlands sit by the mouth of the river, where the waters empty into the sea. The abundance of nutritive salts brought from the upstream area has made the wetlands a habitat for a diversity of wildlife. The most notable species of all is the black-faced spoonbills. Their long, flat bills bear a striking resemblance to pipa, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. They winter here in the wetlands every October.

Sicao wetlands sit at the convergence point of Zengwen River, Luermen River, Yanshui River and Jianan Canal. Large quantities of silt from the upstream area amassed over the years have formed a large plot of tidal land in the Taijiang Inland Sea. The area, with its plentiful food resource, has attracted an impressive array of sandpipers and plovers. The very leggy black-winged stilts are also the frequent faces here. Within the wetlands is a green tunnel, shade on both sides by mangrove trees, and the view is picture-perfect.

Black-faced Spoonbill (黑面琵鷺)
 Taiwan (2015)
25th April, 2015. Taipei
 

Black-winged Stilt (黑翅長腳鷸)
 Taiwan (2015)
25th April, 2015. Taipei

Long-eared Owl

Northern Long-eared Owl (長耳鴞)

Belarus (2015)
1st April, 2015. Minsk

A long-eared owl is one of the species of the order Strigiformes in Belarus. It is so named because of its head feathers resembling the ears though they are not ears. The long-eared owl is distributed throughout the territory of Belarus. Sometimes it nests in settlements. Like other owl species long-eared owls do not build nests. For nesting they find old nests of other birds. During a year one long-eared owl eats more than 1000 small rodents thus bringing substantial benefit to people.