Birds of Slovenia

From left to right :
70t : Lesser Grey Shrike (黑額伯勞) ; 60t : European Roller (藍胸佛法僧)
13t : Lesser Kestrel (黃爪隼)
Slovenia (1995)
9th October, 2007. Brežice

Those three stamps, with one another stamp issued by Slovenia illustrated its country's domestic birds. They are Lesser Grey Shrike, European Roller, Lesser Kestrel and Black-headed Bunting (黑頭鵐), which not shown on the above cover. European Roller has been shown in this blog before now just introduce other two. Lesser Grey Shrike is widely live in south and east Europe and mid-Asia ; migrate to Africa during winter ; Lesser Kestrel can be found in the areas where level higher than 3,000 feet, especially actives in the area of rocks and mountains. Same as Lesser Grey Shrike, it habits southern Europe to northern Africa, and also mid-Asia to northern China.

Alpine tundra

Left : White-tailed Ptarmigan (白尾雷鳥)
Right : Brown-capped Rosy Finch (褐頭紅嶺雀)
United States (2007)
28th November, 2008. Herndon, Virginia

The cover features two stamps came from Natural of America series again, but they issued on 2007 illustrated species of Alpine tundra. Alpine tundra is highest place of Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately one-third area is inside northern Colorado. Although it is in high-level and cold in whole year, likes as other tundra there can be found many animals and plants. White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy Finch are two normal species in this tundra, White-tailed Ptarmigan is widely can be found in North America but Brown-capped Rosy Finch only habit in Rocky Mountains and migrate to lower places in winter.

Above cover also features one Red-headed Woodpecker (紅頭啄木鳥) stamp which was issued on 1996. It still keep in use traditional format - not a self-adhesive stamp.

Voided stamp

Greater Flamingo (大紅鶴)
Portugal (2000)
8th October, 2008. Vendas Novas

Greater Flamingo is one beautiful bird in the world, it widely lives in southern European countries and africa, and also parts of Asia. As a migratory bird, it flies to southern Africa in winter. Many parks and zoos in the world also feed many Greater Flamingos. Above postage label was issued by Portugal in 2000, the denomination of the label marked as Escudo, which is old currency of Portugal and fully replaced by Euro on 2002, those stamps are not valid for postage after this year. However the above label, still postmarked on 2008 !

Northern Lapwing

Northern Lapwing (鳳頭麥雞)
Sweden (2001)
16th October, 2007. Stockholm

A beautiful maxicard from Sweden. Lapwing is a migratory bird which very common can be found in Eurasia, in Winter it lives in Europe and north of Asia, and flies to southern area like South-east China or North Africa. The postcard shown a hen feeding two chicken in grassland, mostly it nests in wetlands and breeds 3-4 eggs in each year.

Many-coloured Fruit-Dove

Many-coloured Fruit-Dove (雜色果鳩)
Fiji (2009)
2nd March, 2009. Suva

Fijian fruit dove issue again, this cover only features Many-coloured Fruit Dove. On the time of preparing the cover, postage to Hongkong was $1,70 and that means above stamps meet the Fijian postage rate. However when I checked a month ago, it is $2,20 for 30g mail, anyway it is excellent cover in my collection.

The cover on the left hand side features an overprinted stamp, original issued on 1998 but overprinted in unknown day. I have been advised Fiji Post, it didn't have answer but listed how many overprint stamps post office have. Who have more information of the stamp ? Please email to me, thanks !

Pigeons

15,00 Dinar : Rock Pigeon (原鴿) ; 10,00 Dinar : Wood Pigeon (斑尾林鴿)
Algeria (2005)
22nd February, 2009. Sétif
18th March, 2009. Hongkong

It is the second mail from Algeria and also related to birds, thank you Ouari who sent me this beautiful cover and postcard from Sétif. These two pigeons are very common in the world, especially urban area they can live together with human. They like turnover rubbish bin to find food or wait people feed them in public area, some public plaza in european cities can see a lot of pigeons stay in there. However they seem poor as they mostly preyed by human or eagle. In Chinese, Rock Pigeon is a best traditional medical food, the population had decreased in the past years.

Cover also features a Rosa x odorata (pink) rose (彩暈香水月季) definitive stamp. On the back of the cover, it is not ordinary as there have two Hongkong postmarks appeared, perhaps it maybe a mistake after the first cancellation postmarked.

Owls of Belarus

900r : Great Grey Owl (烏林鴞)
From left to right :
500r : Little Owl (縱紋腹小鴞) ; 500r : Eurasian Eagle-Owl (鵰鴞)
1000r : Ural Owl (長尾林鴞) ; 1000r : Eurasian Scops Owl (西紅角鴞)
Belarus (2005, 2008)
2nd March, 2009. Minsk

Again, thanks Alexander of the great help of the cover. This cover bearing five different owl stamps, the left hand one was issued on 2005 and other four are in one set was issued on 2008. Those owls, except Scops Owl can't be found in northern European area, they are commonly live in Eurasia continent.

The cover also features two flower definitive stamps issued on 2008, they are Petunia (矮牽牛) and Narcissus (水仙).

Greetings from Finland

Willow Grouse (柳雷鳥)
Finland (2000)
9th March, 2009. Oulu

Great thanks Susanna let me feel great surprise on this week ! She sent me two beautiful covers, one made with map is her home town Oulu, and another one is blue coloured mosaic paper with a lovely ribbon. Two of them also franked with nice bird stamps, those three species are very common in Finland and also widely of northern Europe to Far East area of Russia.

Susanna also quoted an old Finnish verse on her letter, which praises the summer will come when birds arrive. The verse as below :

Kuu kiurusta kesään
puoli kuuta peipposesta
västäräistä vähäsen
nääskysestä ei päivääkään

Left : Sky Lark (雲雀) ; Right : Siberian Jay (北噪鴉)
Finland (2003)
9th March, 2009. Oulu

Undiscovered talent

Azores Bullfinch (亞速爾紅腹灰雀)
Azores (2008)
24th October, 2008. Sete-Rios, Lisbon

In Chinese, there have a phrase undiscovered talent (滄海遺珠), it means a treasure forgotten by someone. Here are two covers received recent days, two species Azores Bullfinch and Green Peafowl have been shown here before. Anyway, I would say a great thanks to José of Lisbon and Ray of Nanjing, who sent me these two nice mails.

Green Peafowl (綠孔雀)
China (2004)
8th March, 2009. Fuqiao, Nanjing
11th March, 2009. Hongkong

Juvenile birds of pan-Antarctic area

10p : Gentoo Penguin (巴布亞企鵝)
50p : South Georgia Pintail (南喬治亞黃嘴鴨)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2004)
12th March, 2008. King Edward Point

Very few stamps illustrated juvenile of the species, shown above was issued by South Georgia who done a best job on 2004, a set of definitive illustrated 12 different juvenile. However only seven are birds and others are marine life and deer. Above cover was for mailing maxicard which has been posted here on December of last year, with two of the stamps.

Gentoo Penguin is widely live in pan-Antarctica and Antarctica, but only breeds in pan-Antarctica islands like South Georgia. There are approximately ten thousands pairs bleed on the islands, each pair lay two eggs from early to late October, but mostly only one chick can be successfully bled each year. South Georgia Pintail is an endemic subspecies of Yellow-bill Pintail (黃嘴鴨), only 1,000 pairs currently on the islands. It can't fly (carnivore) although it is teal, mostly the couple nest on grassland to bleed their chicken.