Loons and grebes

From left to right :
Red-throated Loon (紅喉潛鳥) ; Horned Grebe (角鸊鷈)
Great Crested Grebe (鳳頭鸊鷉) ; Black-throated Loon (黑喉潛鳥)
Åland (2013)
5th April, 2013. Mariehamn

After many years, Åland issued new WWF stamps again, this time feature 4 loons and grebes commonly to be found in this small islands. I decided order a FDC from the philatelic bureau, but sadly the shame Hongkong Post once again damaged this beautiful (and quite expensive) FDC.

⭕️Birds of Montserrat

Antillean Common Gallinule 黑水雞 (安的列斯群島亞種)
Montserrat (2009)
21st March, 2013. Brades

I think most of people don't know where is Montserrat, however if you collect stamp, you may known that there is a British Overseas Territory in the Leeward Islands. And of course not only the geographic detail, most of people known that the territory joint with IGPC issues huge of quantity of stamps to earn money from philatelists. However in today, which country don't issue money for money?

These two maxicards feature the 2009 Birds of Montserrat stamps, the stamps not in good quality as only printed in Taiwan, but they look fine, at least in my opinion. Above species indicated in stamp is Common Moorhen, which is commonly to be found in the world, however some American biologist split sub-species in New World into individual species in few years called Gallinule. So Antillean Common Gallinule now is a sub-species to Common Gallinule.

Western Cattle Egret (黃頭鷺)
Montserrat (2009)
21st March, 2013. Brades

Abyssinian Woodpecker

Abyssinian Woodpecker (金背啄木鳥)
Ethiopia (1998)
9th April, 2013. Addis Ababa

Abyssinian Woodpecker is an endemic species of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but it doesn't endanger as it widely to be found in west of Eritrea and north of Ethiopia, mostly highland of these two countries. The male looks as well as the stamp as above and female only in grey colour.

Only Ethiopia issued Abyssinian Woodpecker stamp in the world and above is one in a set of 23 definitive stamps, when all of them are in same illustration. Please note the registration label using in Addis Ababa is having two versions, one is UPU-standard as above and bearing 'Ethiopian Post' name in below envelope.

Coffee Ceremonies (咖啡禮儀)
Ethiopia (2011)
26th March, 2013. Addis Ababa

Birds of prey in Burundi

From left to right :
400F : Easter Lily (麝香百合) ; 350F : Sunflower (向日葵)
3000F : Lappet-faced Vulture (皺臉禿鷲) ; 3000F : Martial Eagle (猛雕)
1000F : Palm-nut Vulture (棕櫚鷲)
Burundi (2002, 2011)
13th February, 2013. Bujumbura

In 2011, Burundi totally issued 40 stamps feature bird, it is kindly thanks to Stamperija, who won the agency service to Burundi stamp. However as you think, Stamperija not only issue bird but they also shame to issue variety theme, either they are related to Burundi or not, luckily some of them still selling in Burundi, a small country in central Africa. Above cover shown three these Stamperija stamps, those species are to be found in Burundi, the illustration look oddly as they through computer rendering. The two flower stamps, seem look like other country stamps, was printed in Tunisia.

In Africa, as the rich of biodiversity, many birds of prey are easy to be found in there. Those three species as above are active in sub-Sahara area except the forest of Congo.

⭕️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

Osprey and Eurasian Kestrel

Up : Osprey (魚鷹) ; down : Eurasian Kestrel (紅隼)
Burundi (2011)
13th February, 2013. Bujumbura

In this website, Osprey and Eurasian Kestrel are shown many times, from America, Europe to Asia, even in Africa. However it is the first time to show them from Burundi, a poor country in central Africa. In recent years, the post office seems sell the philatelic service to Stamperija, who is a stamp agency base on Lithuania. The poor thing is they issued a lot of stamps that not related to the countries, forunately their stamp design better than IGPC or COPREFIL, above two stamps are examples - I confirmed they can purchased in Burundi !

As repeated many times, I don't make description again. But so sad that the postmarks are not clear to read.

Collared Sunbird

Collared Sunbird (環頸直嘴太陽鳥)
South Africa (2012)
15th March, 2013. Upington

Collared Sunbird is quite normal and easy to find in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the area of south-west Africa. Two or three eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. It is a seasonal migrant within its range. It only 9-10 cm long. They have short thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to nectar feeding. The adult male has glossy green upperparts and head with a yellow belly and narrow purple breast band. The female is a duller green above and entirely yellow below.

⭕️Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill (玫瑰琵鷺)
Costa Rica (2010)
24th August, 2010. Costa Rica

Except the envelope show in last post, the envelope also includes one maxicard. Perhaps it is watered postmark, this is not good effect on the shire postcard as above example. Roseate Spoonbill now is one of endanger species to America, it appears on Florida to almost all Latin and South American countries.

⭕️National parks fauna of Costa Rica

From left to right : 

Green Vine Snake (藤蔓蛇) ; Spectacled Owl (眼鏡鴞) ;
Green-crowned Brilliant (綠頂輝蜂鳥)
Costa Rica (2007)
17th August, 2007. Costa Rica

Unfortunately, it is not a good cover due to the shame Hongkong Post affix a terrible label overlapped the beautiful postmark, as I known the post office happy to find the first day postmark for stamp collector. So even it is not a first day cover, it looks beautiful and excellent, if not has this shame green label.

Costa Rica has a rich biodiversity of its country, so it is easy to find thousand of species. 3 variety species as above are endemic species to Central America, they looks beautiful and attractive.

The cover, as well as the Morocco one shown as before, was gone through Japan. They are very care to affix their label on the back of the envelope as below.

Centenary of Burger's Zoo, Arnhem

Left : Hyacinth Macaw (紫藍金剛鸚鵡) ; right : Jackass Penguin (非洲企鵝)
the Netherlands (2013)
8th March, 2013. Geerdinksweg, Hengelo

To celebrate the centenary of Burger's Zoo in Amhen, TPG issued a sheetlet of ten stamps features variety species of the zoo. There are only 2 stamps related to bird as above, same as other zoo stamps, these two - macaw and penguin are not domestic or endemic species. However the stamps look cute and attractive to me so I decided to have them.

Thanks my dealer selected these two stamps on the envelope, and with excellent an clear hand-postmarking.