Immortal Blossoms of an Eternal Spring (I)

From left to right :
NT$5 : Barn Swallow (家燕) ; NT$9 : Common Rosefinch (普通朱雀)
NT$10 : Vinous-throated Parrotbill (粉紅鸚嘴) ; NT$12 : Yellow-billed Grosbeak (黑尾蠟嘴雀)
Taiwan (2016)
29th March, 2016. Shilin

Giuseppe Castiglione is an Italian named Giuseppe Castiglione, was a native of Milan. At the age of 19 he became a Jesuit as a novitiate and studied oil painting and architecture. At 27 he went to China and was called to the court, serving as a painter under three emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Skilled in figure and bird-and-flower subjects (particularly horses and dogs), his style combined Western techniques (such as perspective and modeling) with traditional Chinese methods. This blending resulted in colorful works with realistic forms.

Each of the sixteen leaves of flowers in the seasons from this album includes rock, bird, or plant motifs. Though the subjects are from life, the compositions are exquisite, each part in harmony for a rare masterpiece fusing Chinese and Western art.

Golden Pheasant

Golden Pheasant (紅腹錦雞)
Taiwan (2015)
10th October, 2015. National Palace Museum

Golden Pheasant is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Falkland Islands, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. In England they may be found in East Anglia in the dense forest landscape of the Breckland as well as Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.

The adult male is 90–105 cm in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. It is unmistakable with its golden crest and rump and bright red body. The deep orange "cape" can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers all of the face except its bright yellow eye with a pinpoint black pupil.

Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The wattles and orbital skin are both yellow in colour, and the ruff or cape is light orange. The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow. The tertiaries are blue whereas the scapulars are dark red. Other characteristics of the male plumage are the central tail feathers, black spotted with cinnamon, as well as the tip of the tail being a cinnamon buff. The upper tail coverts are the same colour as the central tail feathers. The male also has a scarlet breast, and scarlet and light chestnut flanks and underparts. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow.

Golden Pheasant (紅腹錦雞)
Taiwan (2015)
8th October, 2015. National Palace Museum

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

Black-faced Spoonbill

Black-faced Spoonbill (黑面琵鷺)
Taiwan (2004)
20th September, 2014. Chigo

The black-faced Spoonbill has the most restricted distribution of all spoonbills, and it is the only one regarded as endangered. Spoonbills are large water birds with dorso-ventrally flattened, spatulate bills. These birds use a tactile method of feeding, wading in the water and sweeping their beaks from side-to-side to detect prey. Confined to the coastal areas of eastern Asia, it seems that it was once common throughout its area of distribution. It has a niche existence on only a few small rocky islands off the west coast of North Korea, with four wintering sites at Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam, as well as other places where they have been observed in migration. Wintering also occurs in Cheju, South Korea, Kyushu and Okinawa, Japan, and Red River, Delta Vietnam. More recently, sightings of Black-faced Spoonbill birds were noted in Thailand, the Philippines, mainland China, and Macao They were classified as an endangered species through IUCN in 2005. Declines in their population are predicted in the future, mainly due to the amount of deforestation, pollution, and other man-made industries.

Swinhoe’s Pheasant

Swinhoe’s Pheasant (藍腹鷳)
Taiwan (2014)
20th February, 2014. Sanchong

The Swinhoe’s pheasant is a member of the Phasianidae family and is a protected species endemic to Taiwan. A quick and nimble bird, it inhabits the floor of broadleaf forests between 300 and 2,300 meters in elevation. This pheasant has a small population in a limited range which is shrinking due to habitat degradation. Logging is a problem. Some populations are secure within protected areas, but others may be declining. It was hunted in the past and some populations were extirpated in the 1960s and 1970's. Today its global population is estimated to be over 10,000 individuals.

Swinhoe’s Pheasant (藍腹鷳)
Taiwan (2014)
14th March, 2014. Maolin

Swinhoe’s Pheasant (藍腹鷳)
Taiwan (2014)
14th March, 2014. Heping District, Taichung

Owls of Taiwan (3)

From left to right :
NT$5 : Collared Scops Owl (領角鴞) ; NT$10 : Tawny Fish Owl (黃魚鴞)
NT$25 : Ryukyu Scops Owl (蘭嶼角鴞) ; NT$5 : Eastern Grass Owl (東方草鴞)
Taiwan (2013)
18th July, 2013. Lanyu

After releasing “Owls of Taiwan” stamp sets in 2011 and 2012, Taiwan is following up with last set of four stamps in 2013 featuring 4 owls, 12 owls have been shown while 13 owls was discovered in whole islands.

Specially with Ryukyu Scops Owl, it only to be found on Orchid Island, which is off the East Coast of Taiwan proper. It has a brown facial disc and ear tufts. Its head and upper body feathers are brown with dark brown and tan stripes. Its breast and belly feathers are tawny. It lives mainly in forests.

  

NT$5 : Collared Scops Owl (領角鴞)
 NT$25 : Ryukyu Scops Owl (蘭嶼角鴞) 
Taiwan (2013)
26th June, 2013. Postal Museum, Taipei

26th June, 2013. Taitung

  

NT$10 : Tawny Fish Owl (黃魚鴞)

NT$5 : Eastern Grass Owl (東方草鴞)
Taiwan (2013)

26th June, 2013. Nantou

26th June, 2013. Pingtung

⭕️Qing dynasty embroidery

From left to right :
(1) Unidentified peacock ; (2/3) Siberian Crane (西伯利亞白鶴) and Crested Myna (鳳頭八哥)
(4) Asian Paradise Flycatcher (壽帶鳥) ; (5) Mandarin Duck (鴛鴦)
Taiwan (2013)
20th March, 2013. Nanhai Post Office, Taipei

In Qing dynasty, decorated embroidery mostly used to decorate the central hall of a house for a wedding or other celebratory occasion,especially those embroidery in red silk. Above stamps feature Qing dynasty lateral curtain with flower and bird embroidery which is a collection of the National Museum of History, is an example show how the beauty of ancient Chinese art. Many of birds are embroidered, however some of birds are can't identify due to people consider the beauty of the bird in this period, by the way those birds are on behalf of luckily to Chinese culture.

Together with individual stamp, an embossed silk souvenir sheet was issue as below, it also features three unidentified peacocks in gold colour.

Unidentified peacock

Taiwan (2013)

20th March, 2013. Nanhai Post Office, Taipei

Three Friends and a Hundred Birds

From left to right :
NT$5 : Azure-winged Magpie (灰喜鵲) & Japanese Waxwing (朱連雀)
NT$12 : Common Blackbird (烏鶇) & Azure-winged Magpie (灰喜鵲)
NT$10 : Red-billed Leiothrix (紅嘴相思鳥)
Taiwan (2012)
22nd November, 2012. National Palace Museum, Taipei

Bian Wenjin (c.1356 - c.1428) an important court painter of bird-and-flower subjects during the early Ming dynasty, his style continued in the tradition of fine brushwork and vivid colors from the Northern Song school after the artist Huang Quan (ca. 903-965) combined with the atmosphere achieved by Southern Song academy painters. He was a representative bird-and-flower painter of the early Ming dynasty court who followed in the style of the Northern Song painting academy and also displayed something different as well.

Three Friends and a Hundred Birds was finished on July, 1413. Many Ming dynasty court paintings also have auspicious overtones. The drawing represented by pine, bamboo, and plum blossom symbolize the integrity of a gentleman who does not wither under adversity. Also total of 97 birds are shown here, though not corresponding to the number mentioned in the title, the word for "hundred" in Chinese can also mean "plenty".

Stamps as above are partly selected from the drawing and only show the species names while the bird visible, easy to obverse.

Taiwan (2012)

6th February, 2013 Sing-an, Taipei 
8th February, 2013. Hong-Kong

Owls of Taiwan (2)

From left to right :
NT$25 : Brown Hawk-owl (褐鷹鴞) ; NT$10 : Tawny Owl (褐林鴞)
NT$5 : Mountain Scops-owl (黃嘴角鴞)
NT$5 : Short-eared Owl (短耳鴞)
Taiwan (2012)
6th June, 2011. Nanhai Post Office, Taipei

After the first issue on last year, post office continues to issue owls series on early June as well as last year features 4 endemic species, only 13 owl species are discovered and now come out 8 of them. Same as last description, the stamps not surprising to stamp collectors or bird theme collector, stamps look boring and seem missing something.

Thanks James Chen for the coordination of the first day cover and maxicard.

Short-eared Owl (短耳鴞)
Taiwan (2012)
6th June, 2011. Taipei

Owls of Taiwan

From left to right :
NT$25 : Collared Owlet (鵂鶹) ; NT$10 : Tawny Owl (灰林鴞)
NT$5 : Oriental Scops-Owl (東方角鴞)
NT$5 : Northern Long-eared Owl (長耳鴞)
Taiwan (2011)
8th August, 2011. Sinyi, Nantou

Taiwan again to issue bird stamps in this year. So disappointing, the stamps don't respond my demand as they seem missing something. Also, so pity that the original first day cover was lost and above one is redone after one month of day of issue.

Four species not very attractive but all of them illustrated endemic subspecies, except Collared Owlet. As the stamps printed in recess procedure, it is hardly to identify and make confusing to birdwatchers.

Peafowl in western's eyes (2) - Giuseppe Castiglione

India Peafowl (藍孔雀) ; Peony (牡丹)
Taiwan (1991)
18th March, 2011. Neihu, Taipei

It is the second peafowl drawing to show here, and also it was painted by western during 18th century. Giuseppe Castiglione (19 July, 1688 - 17 July, 1766) was an Italian Jesuit who born in Milan, he began to have interesting on Chinese culture during visiting Lisbon and Coimbra of Portugal in 1714. After a year he arrived Macao for studying Chinese, and having a Chinese name Lang Shih-ning.

He stayed in China more than 50 years, participated the design work of the Old Summer Palace, the imperial gardens of early Qing dynasty. Also he painted couple of paintings with emperors and concubines, nature, horses. Above souvenir sheet is one of his painting finished on 1758, now the ancient painting is a collection of National Palace Museum, Taipei.

The postage label is another ancient painting collection of National Palace Museum, painter Yun Shouping (1633-1690) also an important artist in early Qing dynasty. He specialised in flower painting and regards as one of the "Six Masters" of the Qing period.

Bamboo Grove in Early Summer

Bamboo Grove in Early Summer (竹林初夏)
Taiwan (2010)
9th August, 2010. Yuanshan P.O., Taipei (Jhongshan District)

Bamboo Grove in Early Summer, is a modern Taiwanese painting during early 20th century which was drawn by Tsai Yun-yan (1908-1977), and now is one of collections of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.The painting illustrates multiple layers of bamboo grove and the lives in there during early summer period. A jay, be illustrated similar to Eurasian Jay (松鴉), even it is not exactly look like.

Last mail of 2009

From left to right :
Indian Black Eagle (林雕) ; Black Kite (黑鳶)
Crested Serpent-eagle (大冠鷲) ; Hodgson's Hawk Eagle (赫氏角鷹)
Taiwan (1998)
31st December, 2009. Chang Chun Road, Taipei

Thanks to James he sent me the cover on the last day of 2009, and also it is my last mail postmarked on 2009. Although the envelope does not look special, it affixed with a set of conversation stamp set issued on 1998. Eight stamps illustrate 4 preys of birds in se-tangent strip format. Those birds are very common in mountain areas of Taiwan and Far East.

Indian Black Eagle, formally called Black Eagle, is the second long wings of Taiwanese eagles, mostly appears in Pinglin, the north-east forest of Taiwan. Black Kite is a common bird in south-east Asia, and it appears in most area of the country. Crested Serpent-eagle is a middle size prey of birds in the world, widely lives in the southern Asia to south-east Asia. Mountain Hawk Eagle (鷹雕) normally to be found in the pin forests of high mountain area and it has 4 sub-species ; the Taiwan one called Hodgson's Hawk Eagle S. n. fokiensis is hardly to find them in natural area.

Miscellaneous from Taiwan

I known it is not a time have conclusion of this beautiful Taiwan domestic bird definitive stamp set. However I would like to show three miscellaneous items include below newest pre-paid envelope which related to this stamp set, when the files stored in my computer couple of time.

Island Thrush (白頭鶇)
Taiwan (2009)
23rd September, 2009. Taipei (Processing Centre)

Above pre-paid envelope issued as traditional Chinese style to suitable most of Taiwanese writing habit, locals mostly write letter and envelope in vertical style and never change their habit for a long time. Nowadays in Chinese circle, only Taiwanese still keep this habit and most of others are using horizontal or western style. Pre-paid stamp is Island Thrush originally issued on January of this year with the denomination NT$9, now changed to NT$25 for basic domestic registered mail rate.

Siberian Rubythroat (野鴝)
Taiwan (2008)
30th October, 2008. Taipei

Second one is a returned mail sent from Taipei to Hengchun, the insufficient address and receiver were quite popular in last year which come from local awarded film Cape No. 7 and its name of actress. Special seal on the left side of envelope illustrated a screen of the film postmarked by Pingtung post office.

Special thanks James of these two interested items.

Maxicard

Daurian Redstart (黃尾鴝)
Taiwan (2007)
3rd November, 2007. Taipei

The last one is a failed maxicard, there may not have any problem when take a first look. But it is incorrect due to the card illustrated Common Redstart (紅尾鴝) and the stamp is Daurian Redstart.

Chinese Crested Tern

Chinese Crested Tern (黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗)
Taiwan (2002)
4th June, 2009. Taipei

Chinese Crested Tern now has be listed as critically endangered species, only 100 birds left in Taiwan, offshore islands of China and the Philippines. Birdwatchers thought it was extinct before they rediscovered four pairs of Chinese Crested Tern in Matsu, Taiwan on 2000. It looks similar with Sandwich Tern (白嘴端燕鷗) and Lesser Crested Tern (小鳳頭燕鷗), especially only the colour of bill is different than Sandwich Tern, which Chinese Crested Tern is black but other is white. Nowadays most of islands of Matsu has been built up as national park to protect wild birds and other species, in the past as there was prohibit area, birds can safety bleed their eggs not be stolen by people.

Thanks James for this cover, and he also sent me a cover with whole sheet of stamp from Matsu, however it is too large for scanner and can't be shown in here.

Second mail from Cambodia

From left to right :
Black-naped Oriole (黑枕黃鸝) ; Bohemian Waxwing (太平鳥)
Great Grey Shrike (楔尾伯勞) ; Varied Tit (赤腹山雀)
Cambodia (1995, 1997)
6th July, 2009. Phnom Penh

It is second mail from Cambodia, four stamps are come from two issues released on 1995 and 1997 separately. Actually, they are real stamps and valid for postage until now, however as the image of Cambodia stamps are not good during 90's year of last century - people dislike to collect them because some of stamps printed with faked postmark sell in cheap value to beginner collector. Beside of this reason, the stamps still collective as some species only illustrated on Cambodia stamps.

Those four species are very common in Asia, but only Black-naped Oriole can be found in Cambodia. Black-naped Oriole is a beautiful bird, looks golden-yellow feather with blacked nape, also can sings nice sound. It breeds in north-east China and migrates to south Asia in winter.

Below cover from Taiwan also features two Varied Tit stamps, subspecies of Varied Tit is endemic to Taiwan. Other population can be found in the range from Kuril Islands of Russia, Japan, Korea Peninsular to Taiwan.

Varied Tit (赤腹山雀)
Taiwan (2007)
21st December, 2008. Keelung

Collared Bush Robin

Collared Bush Robin (栗背林鴝)
Taiwan (1999)
4th July, 2008. Alishan, Chiayi
10th July, 2008. Hongkong

Collared Bush Robin is a small bird endemic to Taiwan, it mostly can be found in middle to high level hill areas. Male with colourful feathers but female only in grey-brown coloured. Alishan is one of living place of Collared Bush Robin, visitor can easily find and obverse the birds, and there also is a famous tourism sight in Taiwan.

On this aerogramme also featured three species Mikado Pheasant (帝雉), Varied Tit (赤腹山雀) and Himalayan Tree Pie (樹鵲) which issued on 2007. Thanks James for this amazing aerogramme.

Parrot paintings

From left to right :
NT$12 : Congo Grey Parrot (剛果灰鸚鵡) ; NT$5 : Blue-winged Parakeet (藍翅鸚哥)
NT$25 : Australian King Parrot (澳洲國王鸚鵡)
NT$5 : Double Yellow-headed Amazon (雙黃頭亞馬遜鸚鵡)
Taiwan (1999)
23rd April, 2009. National Palace Museum, Shihlin
27th April, 2009. Hongkong

Once again, the cover franked with four Chinese ancient paintings from National Palace Museum. Since 1997, post office of Taiwan issued 5 sets of such ancient bird paintings and here is the second set feature four different parrots. Those paintings were drawn by unknown painters in Ching dynasty. However, China doesn't have wild live or origin live parrots, so parrots have been imported for pet market in China more than 100 years history.

These four parrots can be found in different area, which located in forest of west Africa, Topical forest of Brazil or Australia. They are still famous and popular pets nowadays. The cover with Congo Grey Parrot illustration, originally for Sao Tome e Principe WWF issue.

Mikado Pheasant

Mikado Pheasant (帝雉)
Taiwan (2008)
7th March, 2008. Hualien (features special postmark)

Taiwan has been issued six sets of bird stamps in last year and shown three here before, now is other one illustrated Mikado Pheasant, which the species is endemic to Taiwan. It has shiny blueish feathers with long tail and widely lives in middle and high level of Alishan, now it maybe become a national bird of this country.

Chinese bird paintings

From left to right :
NT$5 : Yellow-throated Bunting (黃喉鵐) ; NT$9 : Green Peafowl (綠孔雀)
NT$13 : Mallard (綠頭鴨) ; NT$15 : Chinese Grey Shrike (楔尾伯勞)
Taiwan (2008)
21st March, 2009. Taoyuan

Some collectors do not think bird painting stamps are related to bird theme, as the topic is painting instead of animals, although the paintings can be identified what species drawn. Above set, issued by Taiwan to commemorate stamp exhibition held on 2008, selected four paintings from National Palace Museum collection, thank you Oliver sent me the nice cover with these bird stamps. Selected paintings were drawn by four different artists in Sung (960-1279), Yuan (1276-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) separately. The stamp set Illustrated four different species of birds, however some of them can't easy be found in Taiwan, Yellow-throated Bunting rarely fly via Taiwan when migrating and Green Peafowl only feed in zoo. Mallard and Chinese Grey Shrike are mostly can be found in mainland China.