Secretarybird

Secretarybird (蛇鷲)
Uganda (2012)
30th April, 2013. Kampala
3rd May, 2013. Sorting Centre, Kampala

The last cover features Secretarybird was come from Eritrea, however it doesn't look good as the cover features 3 species. Here is the new one, it is more beautiful and attractive, the latest WWF issue of Uganda. As before, 4 stamps illustrated different activity of Secretarybird. Although the stamps coordinated by Stamperija, it still collectable to all bird theme stamp collector.

Please specially take a look of the airmail label, it features the logo of Uganda Airlines, but it closed for 20 years. The logo of the airline is Grey Crowned-Crane (灰冠鶴), which is a national bird of Uganda.

Birds of Southern Pacific (1)

From left to right :
70¢ : Friendly Ground-dove (睦雞鳩) ; 50¢ : Swamp Harrier (沼澤鷂)
Tonga (1998)
9th May, 2013. Nuku'alofa

Actually I forget how many pacific birds I have been introduced here, so from this time, I reset it as 1, then follow it in future. Tonga is in the Southern Pacific, it is famous in the world as it is the first country go into new day, thus as a result, it also the first country go into next year. In each year many tourists visit this islands to celebrate new year.

Back to the birds, the recent definitive stamp sets of Tonga are bird theme, it is good news to the theme collector or sadly to collector - a lot of new species may featured on stamps but mostly in high value.Friendly Ground-Dove is dove to be found in west or southern pacific, and widely on Malaya Peninsular. Swamp Harrier also to be found in west or southern pacific and Malaya Peninsular, and some records in Australia.

Those two birds are endangered species.

National bird of Lithuania

White Stork (白鸛)
Lithuania (2013)
6th April, 2013. Vilnjus

White Stork is common bird in Europe, when I was introduced this species in here. After Albania, Latvia, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal and Austria, it is the seventh country to show their White Stork stamp here. In each summer, White Stork will be migrated from sub-Sahara area to Europe, for their next generation. The males mostly come first to find back their nest and females arrive in following dates. When October, the weather of Europe becomes cold, those White Storks with their chick will migrate back to sub-Sahara area, which are large groups across Mediterranean Sea.

White Stork also is a national bird of Lithuania, of course it is easily to obverse this species through out the country, and its neighbourhood countries.

White Stork (白鸛)
Lithuania (2013)
6th April, 2013. Vilnjus

Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck (長尾鴨)
Åland (2013)
19th February, 2013. Mariehamn

In 2013, Åland Post continoues their Frama series Old Wooden Decoys, the second one is Long-tailed Duck, which also is common bird in the Baltic Sea. as well as Common Eider or other game birds to be more succeeded on the hunting, hunters mostly use wooden decoys which are similar to real species to attract the game closer to hunter. Above first day cover, as the first one illustrated a hunter and how the wooden decoy works.

The registration fee of Åland increased again, supplementary postage label valued €6,85 is instead of €6,10 in last year.

Iran's owls

From left to bottom :
1100Rls. : Spotted Owlet (斑腹小鴞) ; 600Rls. : Northern Long-eared Owl (長耳鴞)
1600Rls. : Pallid Scops-Owl (縱紋角鴞) ; 2200Rls. : Brown Fish-Owl (褐漁鴞)
Iran (2011)
14th December, 2011. Tehran (Philatelic Bureau)

This stamp set also celebrated 50th anniversary of WWF but it stored in my album for a long time, few months ago I decided to obtain cancellation and finally get a nice FDI postmark. Four species are selected as endemic species to middle-asia area.

The big problem is, who knows what the red-postmark read?

Brahminy Kite

Brahminy Kite (栗鳶)
Indonesia (2008)
20th April, 2013. Palmerah, Jakarta Barat

Unfortunately it is not a good cover as two postmarks are not clear, it is hard to identify where did it send. Actually I don't collect souvenir sheet due to it just for stamp collector and it seems oddly to be used on any envelope, anyway I do say thanks to the sender.

Brahminy Kite has been shown in last post of Indonesia, but the sheet more clear to show the species in flying motion.

Purple Martin pre-paid envelope

Purple Martin (紫崖燕) ; stamp : Tufted Puffin (花魁鳥)
USA (2012, stamp: 2013)
11th April, 2013. Seattle

In each year, USPS issues a pre-paid envelope (a.k.a. stamped envelope) for their clients, who wish to print their address or company name on the envelope, from 2012 is bird series, the first one is Purple Martin which illustrated by Matthew Frey. Purple Martin is the largest swallow in North America, it is to be ordinary found in whole United States and northern part of Mexico. However the birds which live in northern part will be migrated to Amazon basin area.

Tijuca national park

L : Green-headed Tanager (綠頭唐加拉雀)

R : Violet-capped Woodnymph (紫頂妍蜂鳥)

Brazil (2011)
13th April, 2013. Ajuricaba, Manaus

Tijuca national park, as well as the Tijuca Forest is a mountainous hand-planted rainforest in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the world's largest urban forest. It is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction, found only in the Atlantic Rainforest. In 1961, Tijuca Forest was declared a National Park. The Forest contains a number of attractions, most notably the colossal sculpture of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain.

Nature reserve in southern nations

 

 

€0,20 : Gentoo Penguin (巴布亞企鵝) ; €0,60 : White-chinned Petrel (白額鸌)

French Australia and Antarctica Territories (2012)
10th January, 2013. Europa Island

Not only Antarctica, French Australia and Antarctica Territories also controls some islands in Indian Ocean, Europa Island is a part of Scattered Islands, where are islands nearby Madagascar. Europa Island is a 28 km² low-lying tropical island in the Mozambique Channel, it does not have inhabitant but has one airport but is a bird paradise in Indian Ocean.

The chop on the back cover shown the outline of Europa Island and its famous animals, five stars belong to the five islands of Scattered Islands.

⭕️Vultures of Israel

From left to right :
Lammergeier (鬍兀鷲) ; Lappet-faced Vulture (皺臉禿鷲) and Egyptian Vulture (白兀鷲)
Griffon Vulture (黑白禿鷲)
Israel (2013)
2nd April, 2012. Qazrin

After three years - perhaps two, as one cover has been lost in 2011, a new Israel cover comes into my collection. But I little bit upset that the first day cover features 4 species are very common in my collection, the only main features is they are first time appears on Israel stamps.

This nice first day cover with illustration shown how do those vultures eating their quarries, please note the illustrator also drawn couple of other birds which competing the quarry with vultures.