⭕️Wadden Sea National Park

From left to right :
Texel Sheep (特塞爾羊) ; Black-tailed Godwit (黑尾塍鷸) and
Harbour Seal (港海豹)
Denmark (2015)
2nd January, 2015. Copenhagen

Wadden Sea National Park (Nationalpark Vadehavet) was named a Danish national park on 17 January 2008, starting from 2010. Since June 2014 it contributes the Danish part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage of the Wadden Sea. Prince Joachim of Denmark is Patron of the Wadden Sea Centre.

The Wadden Sea is one of the world's seas whose coastline has been most modified by humans, via systems of dikes and causeways on the mainland and low lying coastal islands. The Wadden Sea stretches from Den Helder in the Netherlands in the southwest, past the great river estuaries of Germany to its northern boundary at Skallingen north of Esbjerg in Denmark along a total length of some 500 km and a total area of about 10,000 km². Within the Netherlands it is bounded from the IJsselmeer by the Afsluitdijk.

Black-tailed Godwit (黑尾塍鷸)
Denmark (2015)
2nd January, 2015. Copenhagen

Wild Germany - Bodden

 

First day postmark : Common Crane (灰鶴)
Germany (2015)
2nd January, 2015. Berlin

 

First day postmark : Pied Avocet (反嘴鷸)
Germany (2015)
2nd January, 2015. Bonn

First day postmark : Black-headed Gull (紅嘴鷗)
Germany (2015)
2nd January, 2015. Bonn

Bodden are briny bodies of water forming lagoons, along the southwestern shores of the Baltic Sea, primarily in Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Especially around the island of Rügen, Usedom and the Fischland-Darss-Zingst peninsula, these lagoons can be found. Part of them are protected reserves, forming the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.

They have a distinctive geological origin and are enclosed by peninsulae, spits and islands, leaving only narrow connections to adjacent bodden or the open sea. Freshwater inflow from the mainland and saltwater inflow from the open sea, which depends on wind direction and force as well as the proximity of the bodden to the sea, result in fluctuating salt gradients and distinctive ecosystems.

⭕️Russia-North Korea joint issue

L : Western Osprey (魚鷹) ; R : Eurasian Sparrowhawk (北雀鷹)
Russia (2014)
17th October, 2014. Astrakhan

Osprey is a large bird of prey birds of prey of the family unit Skopina. Spread all over the world except Antarctica and some oceanic islands. Live in areas where there are large clean ponds rich in fish. It feeds mainly on fish, which tracks down, flying high above the water. The current strength of the Osprey decreases it is listed in the Red Book. Russia has signed an agreement with Korea, India, Japan on Migratory Skopje and measures for their protection.

Sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey birds of prey of the family Accipitridae squad. Distributed from Western Europe and North Africa to the Far East and the Himalayas. Found in most parts of Russia, except treeless deserts, steppes and tundra. Preys mainly on small birds. Due to the use of pesticides in the middle of the 20th century. number Sparrowhawk reached historic lows, but since then its population grew again.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (北雀鷹)
Russia (2014)
12th October, 2014. Moscow

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (北雀鷹)
North Korea (2014)
30th May, 2016. Pyongyang

Western Osprey (魚鷹)
Russia (2014)

12th October, 2014. Moscow

Western Osprey (魚鷹)
North Korea (2014)

30th May, 2014. Pyongyang

⭕️Fauna and Flora of Armenia

330(d) : Eurasian Hoopoe (戴勝) ; 230(d) : Dianthus (石竹)
Armenia (2014)
23rd September, 2014. Yerevan

Hoopoe was classified in the clade Coraciiformes, which also includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, and rollers. A close relationship between the hoopoe and the woodhoopoes is also supported by the shared and unique nature of their stapes. In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Hoopoe is separated from the Coraciiformes as a separate order, the Upupiformes. Some authorities place the woodhoopoes in the Upupiformes as well. Now the consenus is that both hoopoe and the wood hoopoes, along with the hornbills are placed in Bucerotiformes.

The fossil record of the hoopoes is very incomplete, with the earliest fossil coming from the Quaternary. The fossil record of their relatives is older, with fossil woodhoopoes dating back to the Miocene and those of an extinct related family, the Messelirrisoridae, dating from the Eocene.

Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius and related species) and sweet william (D. barbatus).

The species are mostly herbaceous perennials, a few are annual or biennial, and some are low subshrubs with woody basal stems. The leaves are opposite, simple, mostly linear and often strongly glaucous grey-green to blue-green. The flowers have five petals, typically with a frilled or pinked margin, and are (in almost all species) pale to dark pink. One species, D. knappii, has yellow flowers with a purple centre. Some species, particularly the perennial pinks, are noted for their strong spicy fragrance.

Eurasian Hoopoe (戴勝)
Armenia (2014)
23rd September, 2014. Yerevan

⭕️Penguins of Antarctica

L : Gentoo Penguin (巴布亞企鵝) ; R : Chinstrap Penguin (南極企鵝)
Ross Dependency (2014)
19th November, 2014. Christchurch

Penguins are the most commonly found birds in Antarctica, and the Ross Dependency 2014 stamp issue features the five unique breeds of penguin that choose to call this cold, dry continent home.

Truly flightless birds, penguins have evolved traits that make them perfect for icy conditions such as those of Antarctica. While many different colonies of penguins live in Antarctica, the majority of the world’s penguins prefer to inhabit other cooler waters in the Southern Hemisphere. A layer of fat under their feathers keeps them warm and a white belly acts as a camouflage keeping them safe from predators when swimming under ice.

The unique round stamps in this issue depict the emperor, Adelie, macaroni, gentoo and chinstrap penguins in their natural habitats, and feature an over-gloss of a compass design.

Adelie Penguin (阿德利企鵝)
Ross Dependency (2014)
19th November, 2014. Christchurch

Macaroni Penguin (馬可羅尼企鵝)
Ross Dependency (2014)
19th November, 2014. Christchurch

Emperor Penguin (皇帝企鵝)
Ross Dependency (2014)
19th November, 2014. Christchurch

⭕️Eaton's Pintail

Eaton's Pintail (凱島針尾鴨)
French Australia and Antarctica Territories (2013)
9th September, 2014. Alfred-Faure, Crozet

Eaton's Pintail is 40-45 cm. Small, short-necked pintail. Resembles female Northern Pintail A. acuta, but darker overall tone, more reddish-brown, and scalloping on flanks smaller and less obvious. Male has elongated central tail feathers and green speculum bordered with white. Minority of males (1%) assume brighter breeding plumage with trace of chocolate-brown on head and whitish stripe up side of neck. Female has brown speculum bordered with white. Subspecies similar but drygalskii slightly paler, more buff on breast, and some birds show fine vermiculations on lower hindneck and flanks.

It is projected that this species could undergo a rapid decline in the near future owing to predation by feral cats, and it therefore qualifies as Vulnerable.

Pre-paid postcard of South Korea

Bullfinch (紅腹灰雀)
Stamps : Yellow-billed Grosbeak (黑尾蠟嘴雀) ; Red-crowned Crane (丹頂鶴)
South Korea (2011)
28th November, 2014. Gwanghwamun

The bullfinch is a bulky bull-headed bird. The upper parts are grey; the flight feathers and short thick bill are black; as are the cap and face in adults (they are greyish-brown in juveniles), and the white rump and wing bars are striking in flight. The adult male has red underparts, but females and young birds have grey-buff underparts. The song of this unobtrusive bird contains fluted whistles.

This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia. It is mainly resident, but many northern birds migrate further south in the winter. Mixed woodland with some conifers is favoured for breeding, including parkland and gardens.

This species does not form large flocks outside the breeding season, and is usually seen as a pair or family group.

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.

Fauna of Moldova

L : White Stork (白鸛) ; R : Yellow Wagtail (黃鶺鴒)
Moldova (2014)
26th November, 2014. Chişinău

White Storks are tall long-necked wading birds with long bare red legs and a straight pointed red bill. The white plumage of the head, neck, and body contrasts with the black wing feathers highlighted with a sheen of purple and green iridescence. The contour feathers of the lower neck and chest are elongated to form a fluffy ruff that can be erected during courtship displays. A small patch of bare black skin surrounds their brown eyes. Sexes are similar in appearance, though males are slightly larger.

Juvenile birds are duller in coloration than adults. The black primaries are tinged with brown. Their blackish bills and dull brown legs slowly acquire the red color of the adults as they mature.

Though storks are considered to be largely silent birds, most species perform some variety of a bill-clattering display. This display reaches its most advanced form in the White Stork. They begin by throwing their heads straight back to create an amplifying resonance box in the gular pouch of the lower neck. As they clatter their upper and lower mandibles together rapidly they produce a loud machine-gun-like rattle that rises and falls in pace.

Yellow Wagtail is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.

This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate to Africa and south Asia.

It is a slender 15–16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. In other plumages, the yellow may be diluted by white. The heads of breeding males come in a variety of colours and patterns depending on subspecies.

The call is a characteristic high-pitched jeet. This insectivorous bird inhabits open country near water, such as wet meadows. It nests in tussocks, laying 4-8 speckled eggs.

⭕️Margherita di Savoia

Greater Flamingo (大紅鶴)
Italy (2014)
19th July, 2014. Margherita di Savoia

Margherita di Savoia is a town and comune in the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani (Apulia, southern Italy). It was given this name in 1879 in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy, who had an important love affair in the town; previously it had been known as Saline di Barletta.