Pen-pal from Kenya

5/- : African Fish Eagle (吼海鵰) ; 1/- : Red and Yellow Barbet (紅黃擬啄木鳥)

Kenya (1994, 1993)

15th January, 1996. Karatina

Have you meet pen-pal before ? It seemed a very famous hobby during 90's year of last century, just spend one US dollar and then they will send you one or two addresses. I have been met two pals come from Kenya and South Korea separately. We are not exchange mail frequency but always enclosed special things in the mail, the surprise is a piece of chocolate from Kenya ... oops ! I think I want coffee bean more. Nowadays everyone are using email and forget this interesting hobby, nevertheless there have an organization called Postcrossing which exchanging postcards over the world.

Above piece is come from an envelope, as it is too long and not convenient to keep it. Franked 10 stamps feature two different species birds, African Fish Eagle and Red and Yellow Barbet. These two species are very common in east African countries : Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Stamps in small format as they were issued as definitive stamps, but printing quality are excellent as they printed in Switzerland.

Fijian fruit doves

From left to right :

50c : Many-coloured Fruit-Dove (雜色果鳩)

65c : Crimson-crowned Fruit-Dove (緋紅頂果鳩)

90c : Velvet Dove (黃頭果鳩) ; $3,00 : Orange Dove (橙色果鳩)

Fiji (2009)

17th February, 2009. Suva (features first day illustrated postmark)

6th March, 2009. Registration office, Fiji

This year Fiji Post issues four Ptilinopus (鳩鴿科) stamps for annual bird theme, those four doves may very common in south-west Pacific or endemic to Fiji. Many-coloured Fruit-Dove as same as its name, it has colourful feather and lives in Fiji, the Samoan Islands and Tonga. Crimson-crowned Fruit-Dove also can be found in same area, but sometimes it lives in Marshall Islands to Micronesia. Velvet Dove and Orange are endemic to Fiji, Velvet Dove can be found in Kadavu and Ono in the Kadavu Group but Orange Dove lives in the forests of Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, Qamea and Laucala islands.

The above cover is self-printed envelope, which special for this issue, however the registered label overlapped the illustration. The postmark, is illustrated Many-coloured Fruit-Dove, it is not clear enough as the ink seem colourless.

Nightingale

Simon Gregorčič (西蒙 克萊高里)

Slovenia (1994)

20th September, 2007. Soča

Simon Gregorčič (1844-1906) is a Slovenia poet born in Vrsno, Kobarid, a small village above the river Soča. His famous poem Soči (To The Soča) is one of the masterpieces of Slovenian poetry. Slovenia issued 4 stamps to commemorate 150th anniversary of his birth and other three poets' birth or death on 1994. This stamp illustrated a Nightingale (夜鶯), a honorary title of his one lyrics nightingale of Gorica and sight of Soča.

Nightingale is in grey colour. Feathers not beautiful but it can sing nice songs. Not likes other birds, it can sing at night so it got the name as this behaviour.

Sultan Tit and Spot-necked Babbler

Left : Sultan Tit (冕雀) ; Right : Spot-necked Babbler (斑頸穗鶥)

Vietnam (2000)

30th July, 2008. Hung Vuong Road, Hanoi

4th August, 2008. Hongkong

A great mail from Vietnam, originally it may sent from Japan but it lost, so my friend sent it from Hanoi, thanks Pham his mail and stamps. Those two beautiful birds are come from a set of 5 stamps issued on 2000. Actually I like this one more than mail from Japan, as I rarely find swap partner lives in Vietnam.

These two colouful birds normally live in the range from Vietnam to Hainan Island of China. Sometimes Sultan Tit habits southern Guangdong but Spot-necked Babbler can be found in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Traditional style registered label still in uses in Vietnam. In my mail collection, only 4 countries and places same as Vietnam, most of countries now using UPU standard or barcode format labels. Vietnam has been issued many bird stamps, hope I can collect them in future.

Tibetan Bunting

Tibetan Bunting (藏鵐)

China (2002)

9th January, 2009. Qamdo, Tibet

Once again, it is my self-illustrated bird envelope features same species stamp, it doesn't look similar as the original photograph is different. Qamdo located in the eastern of Tibet, eastern bank of Yarlung Zangbo River. In Xi Han Dynasty, it was an important city of Ancient tea route, which is a trade network between Burma and Central China.

Tibetan Bunting, is an endemic species habitant in mountain area of eastern Tibet and western Sichuan, also can be found in origin and sub-branch of Yarlung Zangbo River. Now the conservation status listed as Near Threatened.

The postmark included two languages Tibetan and Chinese, and please note that the number 38 on the postmark means cancelled in 38th hour in the working day ! All post offices in minority group of China are using double languages postmark, it mostly features Chinese and local language.

Cinereous Vulture

Cinereous Vulture (灰禿鷲)

Armenia (2007)

4th December, 2007. Yerevan

Armenia is in the middle of Asia, neighbourhood of Iran and Turkey. However it has best fellowship with European countries and related unions. It issues beautiful stamps since it gained independence from former-USSR, above example is one of nice issue in 2007.

Cinereous Vulture is widely live from Mediterranean Sea to western part of China, include most mid-Asian countries. Mostly can be found in high level's grasslands and mountains, it doesn't have feather as it can't be cleaned when eating dead animals. In Tibet, it also eats dead human when locals hold sky burial.

Turkey definitive stamps

250.000 Lira : Rüppell's Warbler (魯普氏林鶯)

600.000 Lira : Melodious Warbler (優音籬鶯)

1.000.000 Lira : Chaffinch (蒼頭燕雀) ; 100.000 Lira : Firecrest (火冠戴菊)

Turkey (2004)

15th August, 2007. Konak, İzmir

Sorry for the small scan, I known that it is very small, however I forgot to save high resolution image in library. This is beautiful definitive stamp set issued on 2004, disappointed it features 8 stamps only. I hope I can get some envelopes with full of these stamps, until now I got one which sent by ebay seller. Most of species of the set not very special and have been appeared on this blog before. Exception is those two warblers. They are widely found in Europe and Great Britain. Stamps shown them clearly and I do not need any description.

Steller's Eider

Front

Steller's Eider (小絨鴨)

Åland (2001)

Back

Arctic Tern (北極燕鷗)

Åland (2000)

16th February, 2009. Mariehamn

Before I only collect bird stamps, issues from some countries are very attractive for me and continue to collect them, Åland is one of them. It doesn't issue many stamps in each year, just around 20 to 25 stamps, and they are not costly. However, it is not easy to find posted envelope from there - if not visit or travel to there.

Above mail, thanks for correspondence of Åland Post, helped me coordinate the cover. As the registered label too large for C6 size envelope, they found a plastic bag put all things together. I franked it on the back side of envelope after it arrived.

Steller's Eider is a rear migratory bird found in northern countries. As seen in the stamps, male feather is much colourful than female which only have browned colour. They bleeding in small pound but live in near shore. On the back side of the cover features another bird called Arctic Tern, it has been appeared on Portugal stamp and shown here before.

Dear swap partners, as some reasons, swap posted First Day Cover activity will be suspended on May, that means I will not have ability to send you posted First Day Cover in future, I am sorry for this information. However normal exchange will not have any change, I am happy to swap ordinary covers from your place, thank you.

Southern Florida wetland

Left : Bald Eagle (白頭鷹) ; Right : American White Ibis (美洲朱鷺)

United States (2006)

28th November, 2007. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

4th December, 2007. Hongkong

Since 1999, United States begins to issue a series of Natural of America, I have been bought first two souvenir sheets of this series. Although they are very beautiful as many species in one large illustration, one sheet contains 10 stamps cause it costly, thus I never buy continued issues. As by postcrossing, I met some friends who live in different places of America, sometimes they sent me beautiful covers with nice United States stamps. Until now, I only got two covers with different issues. Hope I can receive more in future.

First one from Pittsburgh, thank you Patty, she also enclosed some bird stamps inside the letter. I felt surprise as she has Chinese name and written it as signature in her letter. She used two stamps are come from eighth series illustrated Southern Florida wetland which located in the south-east of North America.

Chinese Monal Pheasant

Chinese Monal Pheasant (綠尾虹雉)

China (2006)

23rd May, 2008. Mount Emei, Sichuan

(features same illustration pictorial postmark)

30th May, 2008. Hongkong

A colourful blue-greenish pheasant only lives in high level grasslands, it is an endemic species only can be found in south-east of Qinghai, and mountain areas of Sichuan. Only males have beautiful feather and skin, females look similar but in dark browned colour. The bird listed as IUCN status due to illegal hunting and their living places are damaging by locals.

Cover postmarked at sight area of Mount Emei, the sight with Leshan Giant Buddha have been listed as UNESCO world heritage sites in 1996. Mount Emei is one of four sacred Buddhist mountains of China, which located in south-west of Sichuan province.