⭕️Philately Week 2008

From left to right :
Snowy Plover (小環頸鴴) ; Little Egret (小白鷺)
Japan (2008)

17th May, 2016. Miyagi Sendai

Watanabe Shotei was a versatile artist and artisan of the Japanese Meiji era. At an early age he had the possibility to exhibit Japan's arts and crafts as a team member of Shibata Zeshin for the Paris World Exhibition of 1878. Later he travelled to Europe and the United States to study Western art and to exhibit Japanese arts and crafts outside of Japan.

Watanabe Shotei studied painting. Still at a young age he began to work for Shibata Zeshin who at that time was one of Japan's most renowned painters, lacquer artists and printmakers. Zeshin Shibata was selected to represent Japan at the international world exhibitions in Vienna in 1875, in Philadelphia in 1876 and in Paris in 1878.

Watanabe Shotei received the opportunity to accompany Zeshin Shibata in 1878 for the Paris World Exhibition. This lead him to further travels to the United States and to an extended stay in Paris to study Western art.

Back in Japan Shotei Watanabe followed the career scheme of Shibata Zeshin by not concentrating on one art form, but being active in a number of different art and artisan fields - printmaking, painting and making designs for Japanese cloisonné.

Also in printmaking he covered a wide field - from kuchi-e to kacho-e. Watanabe's printmaking style varies from the minimalistic approach rooted in Japanese and Chinese painting to a style that reminds us of the coming shin hanga art movement promoted by the Tokyo publisher Watanabe Shozaburo.

When the art dealer and collector Robert O. Muller passed away in 2003, he left the greatest and in the view of many art collectors and dealers also the best collection of mainly shin hanga prints that the world had ever seen. Among the shin hanga that came into the market, were also many beautiful designs made by Shotei Watanabe. They consist of kacho-e (images of birds and flowers) kept in an early shin hanga style.

⭕️Madagascar Paradise-flycatcher

Madagascar Paradise-flycatcher (馬達加斯加綬帶鳥)
Madagascar (2014)

26th April, 2016. Antananarivo

The Malagasy paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine, measuring 18cm in length and weighing between 12.1 and 12.3g. Males have long tail plumes, which can add as much as 18 cm to their overall length. The female is largely rufous-orange, with a black head and nape. The flight feathers on her wings are black with rufous edges, and she has a thin, light blue eyelid wattle.

This species is a regional endemic found on Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros islands. It is common in all native forest types except montane forest, at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,600 m. It also occurs, though less frequently, in other wooded habitats, including plantations, gardens and secondary forest.

⭕️Birds of prey in Falkland Islands

Barn Owl (倉鴞)
Falkland Islands (2016)
13th January, 2016. Stanley

Birds of prey are also termed “raptors”, derived from the Latin rapere, meaning to take or seize by force. They are characterised by sharply curved bills, powerful feet with large talons, exceptional eyesight in diurnal species and specially adapted hearing in nocturnal species.

The Falkland Islands has seven species of raptor: six of these are represented in this issue; the seventh is the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura falklandica), a New World vulture.

Striated Caracara (條紋卡拉鷹)
Falkland Islands (2016)

13th January, 2016. Stanley

Peregrine Falcon (擬游隼)
Falkland Islands (2016)
13th January, 2016. Stanley

⭕️Birds of Greenland

5kr. : Rock Ptarmigan (岩雷鳥) ; 10kr. : Snowy Owl (雪鴞) ; 3kr. Gyrfalcon (矛隼)
4,10kr. : Raven (渡鴉) ; 5,50kr. : White-tailed Eagle (白尾鷲)
7kr. : Great Northern Diver (普通潛鳥) ; 3,20kr. : Long-tailed Duck (長尾鴨)
4,40kr. Snow Bunting (雪鵐) ; 5,50kr. : Black Guillemot (黑海鳩)
6,50kr. : Brunnich's Guillemot (厚嘴海鴉) ; 4kr. : Snow Goose (雪雁)
7,50kr. Long-tailed Jaeger (長尾賊鷗)
Greenland (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990)
14th April, 2016. Aasiaat, Iginniarfik

There are 235 different species of bird in the airspace over Greenland. Some of these birds also breed on land, they include the majestic sea eagle.

The majority of Greenland's birds are migratory birds and there are therefore only around 60 species that are regarded as permanent breeders in the country.

In addition to the birds above, a number of other birds should also be mentioned. This applies in particular to the black raven, which is probably the bird that the majority of people notice. The raven is in the crow family and breeds all over the country.

Its characteristic croaking call can be heard very clearly if you are out hiking.

The snow bunting is another very common bird that leaves Greenland in about September and returns in March. Greenland also has two species of falcon - the peregrine falcon and the gerfalcon - which are both protected species.

⭕️Songbirds of Romania

From left to right :
9,10L : Bullfinch (紅腹灰雀) ; 8,10L : Bohemian Waxwing (太平鳥)
5L : Yellowhammer (黃鵐) ; 4,50L : Hawfinch (錫嘴雀)
Romania (2015)
25th April, 2016. Noluntari

Romfilatelia proposes to bird lovers and philatelists a special postage stamp issue illustrating Songbirds. Also called Oscines (from the Latin word oscine meaning songbird), these were assigned by ornithologists to the order Passeriformes, being characterized by the diversity of size and plumage.

⭕️Protected wildlife in Romanian reserves

 

8,10L, 5L : Eastern White Pelican (白鵜鶘)

3,60L, 9,10L : Dalmatian Pelican (卷羽鵜鶘)

Romania (2015)
25th April, 2016. Voluntari

In each year, Romfilatelia recalls the richness of the natural heritage of Romania by introducing into circulation a postage stamp issue dedicated to the species of pelicans living in their country, as part of a broader topic consecrated to protected wildlife from Romanian reserves. In 2015, The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, it developed on 1990 and as known as Delta Dunării in Romanian is the only delta in the world entirely declared a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, it shelters an impressive number of pelicans from both species, these birds being declared a natural monument, the stamp series in 2015 shown two pelican species: the Great White Pelican and the Dalmatian Pelican.

Great White Pelican is not an endangered species in this moment, it mostly is migratory bird but exception is some pelicans are resident living in western India and indiviual sub-Sahara area whole year. The pelicans widely to be found in sub-Sahara area’s savannas, also north-west and east parts of India during non-breeding seasons. In each early-summers, the pelicans migrates to north, they mostly breeding in eastern Europe to central continental of Euroasia, Danube Delta is one of important area for breeding, in each breeding season up to half of population of whole pelicans to be found here.

Another pelican shown in this stamp set is Dalmatian Pelican, it seems familiar to Hong Kong stamp collectors, as it has apperered on the bird definitive stamps issued on 2006. Not same as Great White Pelican, the conservation status of Dalmatian Pelican now is near threatened, it is because the species’ numbers dramatically declined during the 20th century. Most reasons are living area be encroached and disappered, disturbance and poaching activities. Although most of its population survives in Russia, some of them can be found in Mongolia range. However Dalmatian Pelican also can be divided to resident and migratory bird separately, they breeding in central continental of Euroasia and migrate to northern part of Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, and also Nile Delta in non-breeding seasons. Danube Delta not only the important area for passage pelicans and it is rear settlement of resident pelicans, there is recorded estimated about 550 nesting pairs.

The margin of the souvenir sheet emphasizes the 25-year anniversary since the foundation of the reserve and its belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

⭕️Red-footed Booby

Red-footed Booby (紅腳鰹鳥)
Ascension (2016)

22th February, 2016. Georgetown

Red-footed Booby is the smallest member of the booby and gannet family at about 70 cm in length and with a wingspan of up to 1m. The average weight of 490 adults from Christmas Island was 837g. It has red legs, and its bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue. This species has several morphs. In the white morph the plumage is mostly white (the head often tinged yellowish) and the flight feathers are black. The black-tailed white morph is similar, but with a black tail, and can easily be confused with the Nazca and masked boobies. The brown morph is overall brown. The white-tailed brown morph is similar, but has a white belly, rump, and tail. The white-headed and white-tailed brown morph has a mostly white body, tail and head, and brown wings and back. The morphs commonly breed together, but in most regions one or two morphs predominates; e.g. at the Galápagos Islands, most belong to the brown morph, though the white morph also occurs.

The sexes are similar, and juveniles are brownish with darker wings, and pale pinkish legs, while chicks are covered in dense white down.

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.

⭕️Sunbirds of South Africa

From left to right :

Lemon-breasted Seedeater (檸檬黃胸絲雀)
Neergaard's Sunbird (尼氏花蜜鳥) ; Plain-backed Sunbird (純背食蜜鳥) ; 
Collared Sunbird (環頸直嘴太陽鳥)
White-breasted Sunbird (白腹花蜜鳥) ; Dusky Sunbird (暗色花蜜鳥)
South Africa (1996, 2012)
17th February, 2016. Pretoria

South Africa ranks as one of the top birding destinations in the world, offering an unbeatable combination of variety of birds, well developed transport systems, and a user-friendly and supportive birding tourism industry.

Birders from around the world come to experience both the great variety of typically African birds, migrants, and endemics - those birds found only in South Africa. These birders enjoy excellent birding, whether they are with an organised commercial birding tour or are touring independently.

Of the 850 or so species that have been recorded in South Africa, about 725, or 85%, are resident or annual visitors, and about 50 of these are endemic or near- endemic to South Africa, and can only be seen in the country.

Apart from the resident birds, South Africa hosts a number of African migrants such as cuckoos and kingfishers, as well as birds from the Arctic, Europe, Central Asia, China and Antarctica during the year.

Hirkan national park

From left to right :
Dalmatian Pelican (卷羽鵜鶘) ; Marbled Teal (雲石斑鴨)
Black Stork (黑鸛)
Azerbaijan (2013)
27th July, 2016. Baki

Hirkan National Park is a national park of Azerbaijan. It was established by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in an area in Lankaran Rayon and Astara Rayon administrative districts on February 9, 2004 on the basis of the former "Hirkan State Reserve" which it superseded, on a surface area of 29,760 hectares. It was enlarged by presidential decree on April 23, 2008 from 29,760 hectares to 40,358 hectares.

The area of Hirkan National Park is 99% covered by forests in a primarily mountainous region, and is strictly protected. It constitutes one of the largest contiguous forests in Azerbaijan, which is not interrupted by any settlement or pasture.

The Hirkan National Park protects the humid subtropical and humid temperate forests in the area of the Lenkoran Lowland and the Talysh Mountains, sheltering many endemic plant and animal species.

The ecosystem of the Hirkan National Park, belongs to the Caspian Hyrcanian (Girkan) mixed forests ecoregion, an area of lush deciduous broadleaved lowland and montane forests (subtropical and temperate rainforests) that completely cover the Talysh Mountains and partially cover the Lankaran Lowland.