Varity events in Germany

Bird of the year 2016 :
Goldfinch (紅額金翅雀)
Germany (2016)
11th September, 2011. Neckarwestheim

50th anniversary of BSV :
Goldfinch (紅額金翅雀)
Germany (2016)
6th November, 2011. Gaildof

150th anniversary of Post in Haiteebach :
Common Cuckoo (普通杜鵑)
Germany (2017)
15th January, 2017. Haiteebach

Wildes Deutschland

Postmark : Golden Eagle (金鵰)
Germany (2016)
26th June, 2016. Zürpich

Postmark : Nightingale (夜鶯)
Germany (2016)
23rd June, 2016. Berlin

Phytogeographically, Germany is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. The territory of Germany can be subdivided into two ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine.[37] The majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (33%) or forestry and woodland (31%). Only 15% is covered by permanent pastures. Plants and animals are those generally common to middle Europe. Beeches, oaks, and other deciduous trees constitute one-third of the forests; conifers are increasing as a result of reforestation. Spruce and fir trees predominate in the upper mountains, while pine and larch are found in sandy soil. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Fish abound in the rivers and the North Sea. Wild animals include deer, wild boar, mouflon, fox, badger, hare, and small numbers of beaver. Various migratory birds cross Germany in the spring and autumn.

⭕️Endangered birds of Japan

First line :
Peregrine Falcon (擬游隼) ; Crested Serpent Eagle (大冠鷲)
White-backed Woodpecker (大赤啄木) ; Marsh Grassbird (斑背大尾鶯)
Second line :
Blakiston's Fish Owl (毛腳漁鴞) ; Cackling Goose (小加拿大雁)
Third line :
Okinawa Rail (沖繩秧雞) ; Japanese Wood Pigeon (黑林鴿)
Nordmann's Greenshank (諾氏青足鷸) ; Okinawa Woodpecker (野口啄木鳥)
Ireland (2014)
25th May, 2014. Ōhara, Iriomote

Japan is located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Being latitudinally long, the island chain covers a wide climatic range; from the boreal to the sub-tropical climate zone. There are also two ecological lines which divide the countries flora and fauna. These are Blakiston's Line (between Hokkaido and Honshu) and the Watase's Line (southern Japan). Because of this unusual ecological background, Japan's avifauna is incredibly rich. More than 600 species have been recorded to date. Most of them are migratory (more than 60%) whilst approximately 60 species are either endemic or sub-regional endemic, including the internationally famous Okinawa Rail, Blakiston's Fish-owl, Japanese Murrelet, Red-crowned Crane, Pryer's Woodpecker and Lidth's Jay.

Birding in Japan is increasingly popular. The largest nature conservation NGO, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, has more than 53,000 members and there are more birders who do not belong to the WBS-J. Twitching is becoming more and more common. People can get to rare birds within a few hours of their discovery because of the development of the internet and mobile telephones.

Goldfinch

Goldfinch (紅額金翅雀)
Germany (2016)

3rd May, 2016. Berlin

Lichtenberg is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.

The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin's two zoological gardens. Lichtenberg was also the site of the extensive headquarters complex of the Stasi, the East German intelligence service. Prior to the establishment of the GDR it housed the main office of the Soviet Military Administration in Berlin, and before that it was an officers' mess of the Wehrmacht. The complex is now the location of the Stasi Museum. The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial is on the site of the main remand prison of the Stasi. Lichtenberg is also the location of the German-Russian Museum, the historical venue of the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) on 8 May 1945.

Bavarian Forest

Bavarian Forest (巴伐利亞森林國家公園)

Germany (2016)
2nd January, 2016. Bonn

Bavarian Forest is a wooded low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany. It extends along the Czech border and is continued on the Czech side by the Šumava (Bohemian Forest). Geographically the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest are sections of the same mountain range. A part of the Bavarian Forest belongs to the Bavarian Forest National Park (Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald) (240 km²), established in 1970 as the first national park in Germany. Another 3,008 km² belong to the Bavarian Forest Nature Park (Naturpark Bayerischer Wald), established 1967, and 1738 km² to the Eastern Bavarian Forest Nature Park (Naturpark Oberer Bayerischer Wald), established 1965. The Bavarian Forest is a remnant of the Hercynian Forest that stretched across southern Germania in Roman times. It is the largest protected forest area in central Europe.

Postmark features Eurasian Capercaillie (松雞), also known as the wood grouse, heather cock, or just capercaillie, is the largest member of the grouse family. The largest known specimen, recorded in captivity, had a weight of 7.2 kg. The species shows extreme sexual dimorphism, with the male twice the size of the female. Found across Europe and Asia, this spectacular ground-living forest bird is renowned for its mating display. The United Kingdom population, confined to the pine forests of Scotland, is in rapid decline and threatened with extinction. However, individuals in Northern Europe and Asia number in the millions, and therefore the worldwide population is categorised as "Least concern".

Bird of the year : Northern Goshawk

 

Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
Germany (2015)
8th November, 2015. Gaildorf

Northern Goshawk is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the Accipiter genus, the goshawk is often considered a true "hawk".

It is a widespread species that inhabits the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only species in the Accipiter genus found in both Eurasia and North America. With the exception of Asia, it is the only species of "goshawk" in its range and it is thus often referred to, both officially and unofficially, as simply the "goshawk". It is mainly resident, but birds from colder regions migrate south for the winter. In North America, migratory goshawks are often seen migrating south along mountain ridge tops in September and October.

Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
Germany (2015)
28th November, 2015. Rhönblick

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.

European Green Woodpecker

European Green Woodpecker (綠啄木鳥)
Germany (2014)
9th November, 2014. Gaildorf

European green woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. There are four subspecies and it occurs in most parts of Europe and in western Asia. All have green upperparts, paler yellowish underparts, a red crown and moustachial stripe which has a red centre in males but is all black in females.

The European green woodpecker spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground and does not often 'drum' on trees like other woodpecker species. It is a shy bird but usually draws attention with its loud calls. A nest hole is excavated in a tree; four to six eggs are laid which hatch after 19–20 days.

Fairy Pitta

Fairy Pitta (八色鳥)
South Korea (2014)
28th November, 2014. Gwanghwamun

This beautiful pitta qualifies as Vulnerable because its population is suspected to be in rapid decline owing to deforestation in its breeding range, principally for agriculture and timber, locally compounded by trapping for the cagebird trade.

Fairy Pitta breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, and winters mainly on the island of Borneo, in east Malaysia, Brunei and Kalimantan, Indonesia. It has been recorded on passage in northern Taiwan, North Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong (China) and, most recently, Thailand. It appears to be localised in its breeding range, but occurs at relatively high densities at some localities. Preliminary estimates based on playback surveys by the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute suggest that up to 2,000 individuals may breed in Taiwan. Survey effort in Jiangxi, Guangxi and Hainan Provinces, China, has identified a number of new locations. Overall, its population is unlikely to be more than a few thousand individuals and it is thought to be declining, although the Japanese Ministry of Environment report in 2004 shows that it was recorded in a greater number of survey squares during 1997-2002 distributional surveys of Japanese animals compared with their 1974-1978 figures. The total population is likely to fall between 3,000 and 5,000 individuals.

The Indian issue of 'International Year of Biodiversity'

Left : Indian Eagle-owl (印度雕鴞) ; 
Right : Ruddy Shelduck (赤麻鴨) and Brahminy Kite (栗鳶)
Postmark : Pale-capped Pigeon (紫林鴿)
India (2012)
24th August, 2014. Bhubaneswar
18th October, 2014. Hong-Kong

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity.The International Year of Biodiversity is a unique opportunity to increase understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth.

BALTEX 2014

Pictorial postmark : White Stork (白鸛)
Germany (2014)
29th August, 2014. Bonn

BALTEX 2014 is a national stampexhibition that have be held in Malmö, Sweden's third largest city in the center of the vibrant Öresund region. The exhibition was opened 29-31 August 2014.

In 1954 the last breeding attempt by the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) in Sweden failed and the species was declared extinct from the Swedish fauna. Reasons for the extinction are thought to be a combination of issues such as habitat conversion, increased mortality and an overall decline of the European White Stork populations. Since 1989 an ongoing reintroduction programme for the White Stork has been established in Scania, southern Sweden. The aim of the reintroduction programme is to reestablish a naturally breeding population of White Storks. The approach is based on captive breeding and release of established pairs that settle and breed in the vicinity to the release sites. The White Stork is also used as a flagship species for the restoration of the Swedish wetlands that have been severely affected by drainage to the point that 90% has disappeared from the area.

75 years of Adlerwarte Berlebeck

Pictorial postmark : Red Kite (紅鳶)
Germany (2014)
22th June, 2014. Detmold

The Adlerwarte Berlebeck is a bird park in the district of Detmold Berlebeck. It was founded in 1939 by husband and wife Kati and Adolf Deppe and is now an institution of the city of Detmold. Not only because of their location near the Hermann Monument in the Teutoburg Forest is a popular destination and in recent years, more than 100,000 visitors each after Berlebeck.

Nicely landscaped and located on the flight of birds on a low ridge, the Adlerwarte Berlebeck is a home to 46 different raptor species with a total of about 200 raptors. During the season several times a day instead of free-flight demonstrations. For this purpose a revolving stage was set up with 160 seats. In a teaching and information center Find out more about birds of prey, the history of falconry and the tasks of the Eagle is mediated in wildlife conservation.

European Green Woodpecker

 

Pictorial postmark : European Green Woodpecker (綠啄木鳥)
Postmark : Germany (2014)
4th May, 2014. Rohr

European Green Woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. There are four subspecies and it occurs in most parts of Europe and in western Asia. All have green upperparts, paler yellowish underparts, a red crown and moustachial stripe which has a red centre in males but is all black in females. It spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground and does not often 'drum' on trees like other woodpecker species. It is a shy bird but usually draws attention with its loud calls. A nest hole is excavated in a tree; four to six eggs are laid which hatch after 19–20 days.

⭕️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

Blue Tit

Blue Tit (藍山雀)
 Germany (2013)
6th October, 2013. Wirges

Seems it still an extension series of Germany birds, which issued on August, 2013.

Blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, are widespread and a common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands with a high proportion of oak. They usually nest in tree holes, although they easily adapt to nest boxes where necessary. The main rival for nests and search for food is the much larger Great Tit.

The bird of the year 2013 (Revised)

Postmark : Common Snipe (田鷸)
Germany (2013)
20th July, 2013. Ober-Mörlen

This year, Germany choose Common Snipe as the bird of the year. The bird adults are 25–27cm in length with a 44–47cm wingspan and a weight of 80–140g (up to 180g pre-migration). They have short greenish-grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown with straw-yellow stripes on top and pale underneath. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it and the wings are pointed.

Overall, the species is not threatened. Populations on the southern fringes of the breeding range in Europe are however declining with local extinction in parts of England and Germany), mainly due to field drainage and agricultural intensification.

Personal stamp : Common Snipe (田鷸)
Germany (2013)
15th September, 2013. Oepfershausen

Svalbard

Aurora (極光)
Norway (2001)
22nd May, 2013. Barentsburg, Svalbard
(Postmark features Rock Ptarmigan (岩雷鳥)

Do you remember a cover from Svalbard on two years ago ? It cancelled with a special postmark features an animal to be found in North Circle, here is an other example from Svalbard. Barentsburg is second largest settlements in Svalbard, but there almost are Russian and Ukrainians.

Except the cancellation, the cover features 4 seal related to Barentsburg, however they are illustrated variety looks of Nordic Bear. 

Isle de Pascua

Kelp Gull (黑背鷗)
Chile (2001)
16th November, 2012. Isle de Pascua

Isle de Pascua, as known in English is Easter Island. Is located in the central of south-Pacific. I think most people known or heart the history of Easter Island so I don't present that here. In recent ages, the island over-developed for agriculture, most of nature forest are lost or damaged, inhabited place reduced causes more animals and birds are disappear. Kelp Gull seems is an exception cause it to be found in wide area of sub-Antarctic, southern Africa, South-America and Australia, include those offshore islands.

The special seal on the stamp show a group of moal ahu in Rapa Nui, is an important signature of Chile, also is a World Heritage Site.

The bird of the year 2012

Postmark : Eurasian Jackdaw (寒鴉)
Germany (2012)
20th October, 2011. Neubrandenburg

Last year, I shown here a pictorial postmark from Germany, which is Redstart (紅尾鴝). Actually, one bird will be represented in each year, and in 2012, it is Jackdaw.

Jackdaw has been illustrated as postmark on May, marked an event in Kaltennordheim. What bird will be represented in next year?

Centurary anniversary of Helgoland

Common Guillemot (普通海鴉)
Germany (2012)
28th June, 2012. Helgoland

Until now I don't know why the postmark has Chinese, as this small islands was a navy base and the place to vacation. I don't have any english detail of Vogelwarte Helgoland but seem something related to below stamp - Centurary of Heligoland Bird Observatory, which is one of the world's first ornithological observatories.
The postmark on the above cover illustrated Common Guillemot, or named Common Murre. Which seems common to be found in this islands.