Festivals in Egypt

From left top to right bottom :

Firecrest (火冠戴菊) ; Barn Swallow (家燕) and Red-rumped Swallow (金腰燕)

Rose-ringed Parakeet (紅領綠鸚鵡) ; European Goldfinch (紅額金翅雀)

Egypt (1994)

15th March, 2008. El-Remayah, Giza

16th March, 2008. Cairo

25th March, 2008. Hongkong

Actually I don't know what festival did they celebrate in 1994 cause Egypt Post issue a block of four bird stamps. I bought twice as they are bird stamps, the colour is quite interesting for me as it looks fade out. When I met an egyptian last year, I advise him help me to use one set on the envelope. The envelope may not looks good, postmarks are untidy and other stamps added, but I think it is okay, exception is he never write my address on envelope directly, just cut it from my envelope I sent him. 

Those five birds are very common in Europe, of course as Egypt in the north of Africa, birds are fly over Mediterranean Sea when migrating. On this cover also features a pair of Wadi El-Hitan (鯨魚谷) stamps issued on 2008, a valley located in Faiyum designated as UNESCO world heritage site, hundreds of fossils of some earliest whale and the Archaeoceti (古鯨亞目) have been found in there. The stamps shown the detail and overview of one fossilised whale.

Aurora

Aurora and Elk (駝鹿)

Norway (2001)

8th June, 2008. Bjørnøya, Svalbard

(Postmark features Brunnich's Guillemot (厚嘴海鴉)

It is an only mail come from North Circle, Svalbard is a group of islands in the offshore of Norway and inside North Circle. There does not have much residents, most of them are scientists. Around 65% area of islands be listed as protection area, and most habitants are Polar Bears. The island, also has an international seed vault, to store all seed come from different countries. Of course, Svalbard is one of best places to view aurora during spring or autumn.

Brunnich's Guillemont only can be found in North Circle's countries likes Russia, Iceland, Norway and Greenland. It is different than Razorbill, which also lives in same area to southern area like Portugal, Nova Scotia or California.

Green-winged Macaw

Green-winged Macaw (綠翅金剛鸚鵡)

Brazil (2007)

10th December, 2007. Ribeirão Porto

I like to collect bird stamps of course, but I especially collect parrot and penguin stamps as they are beautiful and cute. See this cover is ordinary enough as only four stamps on the envelope, for me I am happy to receive this cover as the stamp is Macaw, although next three are other stamps. Green-winged Macaw is live in area of Amazon, north part of South America. It has colourful feathers and sings loudly sound, thus become popular pet in the world.

Quantity of wild lived Green-winged Macaw are decreasing, most of birds are breeding by human. Pet them is not easy, it needs a lot of space and much time, by the way as always sings or studies talking with master, it will have many interesting and fulfill from the pet.

Thanks Flávio sent this mail for me, I am happy to know him in Facebook again.

Seabirds of Altantic

15p : Brown Booby (白腹鰹鳥) ; 35p : Common Noddy (玄燕鷗)

40p : White Tern (白玄鷗) ; £1,25 : Red-billed Tropicbird (紅嘴熱帶鳥)

St Helena (2008)

17th July, 2008. James Town (first day special postmark)

I have been shown covers from Ascension Islands and Tristan da Cunha, they are a group of islands which under St Helena government. This time I would show a first day cover come from there, it is series 2 of seabirds of St Helena. They are quite normal in these three islands, or Cape Verde Islands and south Pacific Ocean.

The cover, was not sent on the day of issue. I resent it back to St Helena after arrival of the order, and came back few days ago. However, St Helena and Hongkong did not leave any postmarks to prove the mail journery, only the registered labels on the two sides can be checked by Royal Mail and Hongkong Post.

Waterbirds of Uzbekistan

45s : White-headed Duck (白頭硬尾鴨) ; 250s : White-tailed Eagle (白尾鷲)

350s : Pygmy Cormorant (侏鸕鶿) ; 350s : Marbled Teal (雲石斑鴨)

Uzbekistan (2006)

19th May, 2008. Tashkent

28th May, 2008. Moscow

3rd June, 2008. Hongkong

Those four birds are common in mid-Asian countries, and north Africa during their migrating season, sometimes White-tailed Eagle to be found in northern Europe. The cover is not the best as the stamps have been torn off from souvenir sheet. Sender told me his post office is not allow him frank whole sheet on the envelope, however I found that other mails from Uzbekistan done it, anyway it seems okay for me. On the back of the envelope, the arrival postmark has something wrong, the year is overturned and be crossed out by postman. Very oddly as it is not easy to find wrong postmark in Hongkong.

Kosovo Relief Fund

20c : Phoenix Petrel (白腹圓尾鸌) ; 55c : Great Frigatebird (小軍艦鳥)

$1 : Long-tailed Cuckoo (長尾杜鵑)

35c : Central Pacific Sooty Tern (中太平洋烏燕鷗)

Tuvalu (1999)

16th May, 2008. Funafuti

Tuvalu is a poor country of the stamp issue policy, most of stamps can't be used on normal postal service. Above stamp set maybe not have exception, as post office packed it in another envelope and sent back for me. The stamps are related to Kosovo issued on 1999, overprinted on definitive stamp set issued on 1988. I don't have any comment on the stamps, they are not nice or very ugly, those four species or subspecies are common in south Pacific and New Zealand. However I am very disappointed on the postmark, they are near unreadable. If not check the unofficial philatelic website of Tuvalu, I never understand what it means.

Little Tern

Front

Little Tern (小燕鷗)

Croatia (2006)

Back

Orsini's Viper (歐西尼氏腹蛇)

Croatia (1999)

10th February, 2009. Zagreb

16th February, 2009. Hongkong

An interesting cover features two different WWF stamp sets issued by Croatia. The country has been issued three sets of WWF stamp, I still missing the one issued on 2004. Little Tern seems is a normal seabird in the world, can be found offshore of Asia, Europe, eastern Australia and western Africa. However the population has declined or become extinct in most European countries, and only few river or inland suitable for them to habitat. In Croatia, Sava and Drava, which is located in the border of Hungary and Croatia can be found the habitations.

Green Peafowl

Green Peafowl (綠孔雀)

Thailand (2008)

9th August, 2008. Chiang Mai

A beautiful bird can be found in south-east Asia and India, and rarely in Tibet and Yunnan. Whole feather are in green colour and look shiny. Only males will open their colourful wings when finding their partner. As the shiny feather and the beautiful wings, people kill the birds to obtain feather and wings for hat's accessories. Nowadays they are be protected as Vulnerable status. This cover was sent from Chiang Mai on the day of issue. In there have a zoo feeding couple of Green Peafowls, and near 5,000 different birds.

Domestic birds of Switzerland (2)

Chaffinch (蒼頭燕雀)

Switzerland (2007)

14th September, 2007. Sempach Stadt

Continue to post the definitive stamps of Switzerland. Shown here are three maxicards feature Chaffinch, Great Tit and Wallcreeper separately. Chaffinch and Great Tit are very common in Europe mainland and England Islands, mostly can be found them in gardens or fields. Those two cards are illustrated a pair of birds by same artist, published in Switzerland and over 60 years ages. Sempach is a town in the middle of Switzerland, pictorial postmark shown the sight of the town.

Great Tit (大山雀)

Switzerland (2007)

12th September, 2007. Jura, Fribourg

Wallcreeper lives in Alps or high-level areas, built the nest on the rock to bleed their chicks. Zernez is a small village in south Alps nearest Italy border and is a main entry to Swiss National Park, Ibex (羱羊) is a common habitant in the park and Alps so postmark has its illustration.

Maxicard

Wallcreeper (紅翅懸壁雀)

Switzerland (2007)

9th February, 2009. Zernez

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan (大天鵝)

Estonia (2007)

5th April, 2007. Tallinn (first day special postmark)

25th January, 2009. Jõhvi

Although I don't very interested in collect first day cover, sometimes friends are sent me beautiful first day cover after day of issue, I am very happy to receive them as I don't care is it send on the first day or not. For me, I feel trouble to send first day cover in Hongkong as too much rules of post office should be followed, some staffs do not like serve collector as they think collectors have too much demand.

Above cover was sent by Kristiina, thank you very much of her surprise ! It is very nice cover. Estonia issues a bird stamp in each year, Whooper Swan was issued on 2007. The bird mostly lives in most-north of the world and flies to mid-Asia, whole Europe or Africa, most people confuse the bird and Tundra Swan (小天鵝) as they look similar. Cover shown the different of male and female birds, female with reddish bill and male is yellow and black.