New stamps on Birds

 

Birds of the Rock

Date of Issue : 16 April 2012

Gibraltar Post issued a new set of Definitive stamps featuring birds on 16 April 2012. Though the stamps are definitive but look very attractive !! It is a beautiful set for bird lovers !!

Definitive 2012 'Birds of the Rock'

Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis) Two species of Nightjar are found in Europe, both of which migrate past Gibraltar.The Red-necked Nightjar breeds only in the western Mediterranean and migrates to tropical Africa during the autumn, returning in the late spring. They are most frequently seen in Gibraltar during levanter conditions. This species feeds mainly on nocturnal flying insects and breeds primarily in open woodlands, favouring Stone Pine woods, which echo at night with its distinctive call.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) This owl, which is found from North Africa and Western Europe to China, is the most common nocturnal bird of prey in Gibraltar. 8-12 pairs breed in cliff habitat around the Rock, and less frequently in holes in old walls. They prey on insects, reptiles and small mammals, and can sometimes be seen during daylight hours. Clutches consist of 3-5 eggs. Little Owls are not migratory and birds are present all year round.

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) This is a migratory species that spends the winter in tropical Africa and returns to Europe to breed in the late spring. Although declining throughout part of its range, the Spotted Flycatcher is a common migrant in Gibraltar. The species began to breed in the Botanic Gardens in 2009 and has done so ever since. Clutch size normally consists of 4-6 eggs. Up to three young have been reared in Gibraltar. In spite of its name the Spotted Flycatcher is streaked rather than spotted.

Gutter Pairs

From Our Readers….

Private covers for special events

Century of Centuries : Sachin Tendulkar

100 Year of Titanic Tragedy

 

   : Timir R. Shah – Vadodara : email : trs_shah@rediffmail.com

New Stamps from Bulgaria

 

100 years of an ambitious project, the liner Titanic

Date of Issue : 10 April 2012

The Bulgarian Post  issued a  souvenir sheet  on 10 April 2012  to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the legendary RMS Titanic.

RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US. The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,514 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

100 years of the first baptism by fire of Bulgarian aviation in the sky over Edirne

Date of Issue : 10 April 2012

 

20th Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition

Date of Issue : 07.04.2012

Europa 2012

 

Date of Issue : 4 April 2012

 

Visit Bulgaria..

( Stamp Booklet)

 

: Stamps of Bulgaria

Western Tragopan on stamps…

 

 

 

 

 This photograph was recently taken at Great Himalayan National Park. Probably it is the third photograph of Western Tragopan in wild  taken so far in the  world as the species is highly endangered. Courtesy (Photo): Director, Great Himalayan National Park

 

 

 

 

The Western Tragopan or Western Horned Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is a medium-sized brightly plumaged pheasant found along the Himalayas from Hazara in northern Pakistan in the west to Uttarakhand within India to the east. The species is highly endangered and globally threatened.

                                               

India Post and Pakistan Post have issued stamps on this highly endangered species of pheasants. 

 

Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) 

Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus), also called Western Horned Pheasant, is a local resident in western Himalayas.

Size: male 68-72 cm;  female 60 cm.   Weight: male 1.80-2.20 kg;  female 1.20-1.40 kg.

Identification: Typical tragopan, with orange to red collar, red facial skin and white-spotted, black belly. Similar species: Male differs from that species primarily by red facial skin and mostly black base-colour of lower breast to vent, female has a noticeably duller and greyer base-colour to upperparts and, in particular, underparts.

Distribution:

The Western Tragopan is endemic to the western Himalayas, occurring from Kohistan, east through Kashmir into Himachal Pradesh and possibly Uttaranchal, north-west India. In summer it inhabits temperate coniferous and deciduous forests, with dense undergrowth, from 2,400 to 3,600 m. In winter, the Western Tragopan descends to grassy or shrubby gulleys with less snow cover, between 1,300 m and 2,500 m. At present the population is estimated to be less than 5000.

Call: a loud 'way waah', during breeding season. Wailing cry 'waa waa waa', when agitated, repeated a number of times.

Food: Mostly vegetarian. Feeds on fresh leaves, bamboo shoots, acorns, berries, seeds and insects.

New stamps on Birds…

 

2012  stamps from Estonia

Bird of the Year – Plover

The Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) mainly inhabits  natural landscapes on the seashore and sea islands. The population of the Ringed Plover has contracted from at least 8,000 couples to 1,000 or 2,000 during the past 50 years. Perhaps disappearance of suitable places of nestling on the seashore and robbery are some of the reasons why we find the Ringed Plover more and more frequently nestling in the inland.

The Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) as a typical inland snipe populates mainly manmade places such as gravel pits, limestone quarries etc. Although the global contraction in the population of the species is connected with climate change, the link between the intensiveness of human activity and the population of the Little Ringed Plover is clearly positive. On the basis of recent population assessments there are 1,000 to 2,000 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers nestling in Estonia.

Belarus

Belaru Post will issue a souvenir sheet in May 2012 on 20^th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Cuba . The souvenir sheet  features birds from both the countries.

Auction

ITS Postal Auction No.56 – Last Date: 12.05.2012

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1.    India – 1947 – SG 301 to 303 – Independence – Rs.400.
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6.    India – 1963 – First Balloon Flight Cover, Bangalore – First Pestalozzi Children’s Village of India in Bangalore – RARE! – Rs.500.
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11.    India – 1974 – SG MS711 – Indian Masks – Miniature sheet – Rs.1000.
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15.    India – 1976 – SG 814/17 – XXI Olympic Games, Montreal – Complete set of 4v – Rs.75.
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17.    India – 1977 – Complete stamps of the Year – Rs.1600.
18.    India – 1977 – SG 850/53 – Indian Flowers – Complete set of 4v – Rs.80.
19.    India – 1978 – SG 882/85 – Modern Indian Paintings – Complete set of 4v – Rs.80.
20.    India – 1978 – SG 886 – 400th Birth Anniversary of Peter Paul Rubens – Corner stamp with T/L – Rs.60

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