Partridge – Bird of the 2013 Year

 

 

On March 07, 2013,   Estonian Post  issued one stamp features the game-bird species as bird of this  year, Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), also known as the English Partridge, Hungarian Partridge.

 

 

 

The Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) is a small bird  of the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. who mainly lives in farmland – in fields as well in pasturelands.

The Grey Partridge is a rotund bird, 28–32 cm long, brown-backed, with grey flanks and chest. The belly is white, usually marked with a large chestnut-brown horse-shoe mark in males, and also in many females.

 

 

The Grey Partridge passes the winter in groups, often in the vicinity of human settlements. The groups split up in April when coupling takes place. In the nesting period, in May to June, they lead a very covert way of life.

There are presumably about 4,000 to 8,000 couples of the grey partridge in Estonia at present.They are a seed-eating species, but the young in particular take insects as an essential protein supply.

 

 

The nest usually has from 15 to 20 eggs on the ground, and the young fledge at ten days old. It is a species of dwindling numbers that are most affected by predation and by the use of pesticides in farming.

The species has been successfully introduced to many parts of the world for shooting, including vast areas of North America, where it is most commonly known as Hungarian partridge. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Grey Partridge is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Forest 2011–San Marino

 

The Europa 2011 theme is dedicated to forests. The San Marino Post have issued a set of two stamps on April 5, 2011. The issued stamps depicted  images which  have been taken in the Teso Forest of the Municipality of San Marcello Pistoiese in the Tosco-Emilian Apennine.

 

 

The set is made up of two values: the € 0.60 value represents an age-old lush, flourishing forest, contrasted with the image of the 0.65€ value, which shows a pile of tree-trunks as a symbol of man’s repeated, uncontrolled and unauthorised exploitation.

 

Karadag Nature Reserve

 

Ukrainian State Enterprise of Posts Ukrposhta , issued  a souvenir sheet stamp consist of four stamps depict several endangered species, e,g: the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, Butterfly-lion, Saker Falcon, and Beech Marten on July 28, 2005.

Karadag Nature Reserve was organized in 1979 on the base of Karadag research station named after T. I. Vyazemskiy and founded by him back in 1914. Karadag Nature Reserve occupies the area of 2874 ha. It is a unique haven of landscape and biological diversity (2870 flora species and 5350 fauna species), a gene pool of rare plant and animal species, a kind of refuge of Mediterranean fauna in the Crimea.

 

Black Sea bottle-nosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ponticus )

Bottlenose dolphins live in groups typically of 10–30 members but group size varies from single individuals up to more than 1,000. Their diets consist mainly of forage fish. Dolphins often work as a team to harvest fish schools, but they also hunt individually.

Bottlenose dolphins search for prey primarily using echolocation, which is similar to sonar. They emit clicking sounds and listen for the return echos to determine the location and shape of nearby items, including potential prey.

The Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin.

The Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, or Tursiops truncatus ponticus , qualifies for listing as Endangered species.The range of the Black Sea subspecies includes the territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine in the Black Sea.

Fresh Water Fish of Fiji

 

Fiji Post issued a set of four stamps feature the fresh water fish which found in Fiji islands on May 13, 2002. The depicted species are the Redigobius sp., Spotted flagtail, Silver-stripe Mud-skipper,  Snake-head Gudgeon.

The 48 c stamp represents Redigobius fish. Redigobius sp has been observed in mid-water schooling, only in clear headwater areas. This fish is carnivorous and feeds on benthic invertebrates. There is evidence of parental care of demersal eggs. 

The main threat to this endemic fish is habitat destruction brought about by the logging activities being carried out in its only known sites; and the possibility of introduced invasive species encroaching the headwaters. Excessive gravel and boulder removal are also direct threats.

Redigobius lekutu is a goby, belonging to the family Gobiidae. Members of the family Gobiidae are generally small fishes, and this species is no exception. It measures only 3.5 cm from the snout to the tip of the tail - probably smaller than the index finger of the average adult.

Definitive Flower Stamps of Canada

In year 2010, Canada Post issued the definitive stamps consist of four stamps that feature orchid flowers in one miniature sheet format. The depicted species are Striped coralroot, Giant Helleborine , Rose Pogonia , Grass Pink. 

Striped Coralroot or Corallorhiza striata is a species of orchid that native to much of North America, especially Canada and the northern and western United States.

It is a member of the coniferous understory flora, where it lives in the layer of decaying plant matter on the ground obtaining nutrients from fungi via mycoheterotrophy.

This coralroot has an erect stem which may be red, pink, purple, or yellow-green to almost white. It is mostly made up of an inflorescence of orchid flowers.

Each flower is an open array of sepals and similar-looking petals which may be pink or yellowish and have darker pink or maroon stripes. 

Inside the flower is a column formed from the fusion of male and female parts, which may be spotted with purple or red. The fruit is a capsule one or two centimeters long.

National Park of Spain

Espana Post promote their National Park by issuing a set of two stamps feature Cañón del Río Lobos Natural Park and Izki Natural Park on March 09, 2009.

Cañón del Río Lobos Natural Park is a natural environment protected by the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. Subdivided Natural Park territory Lobos River Canyon between the provinces of Soria and Burgos.This area was declared a Natural Park in 1985 and a Special Protection Area for Birds in 1987. 

It is covered  an area of ​​9580 ha. and is a unique biogeographic space structured on the axis of a deep pit dug in the riverbed of the Mesozoic limestone that has left huge vision and sheer walls. 

From its flora include the juniper, pine repudiation, and the oak gall, while the spaces may be covered juniper scrub, huckleberries and gorse.

As for wildlife, the Canyon live animals and various species, in particular birds abound among prey like eagles, falcons, griffon vulture, the hawk and the vulture. Also in the living river otters and trout.

Wilderness Australia

 

 

Australia Post promote their nature by issuing a set of three stamps on September 25, 2012.  The issue depict the wilderness of Australia, the vast Nullarbor Plain, the Daintree National Park, and Cradle Mountain. 

  

Historically, the Nullarbor was used by the semi-nomadic Spinifex Wangai people. The Nullarbor Plain, located on the Great Australian Bight coast, is the world's largest limestone karst landscape covering an area of 270,000 square kilometres, extending 2,000 kilometres between Norseman and Ceduna. Two thirds of the Nullarbor is within Western Australia and one third is in South Australia. 

 

The name Nullarbor derives from "no trees", but the plain is covered with bluebush and saltbush plants, hardy shrubs that are drought-resistant and salt-tolerant.

 

 

The Daintree National Park, north of Cairns, is made up of two sections - Mossman Gorge and the Cape tribulation - and is part of the traditional lands of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people.

 

Much of the Mossman Gorge section is covered in tall, dense rainforest and supports a range of habitats and a diverse assortment of wildlife.




 

 
 
 
 

Cradle Mountain forms the northern end of the wild Cradle Mt - Lake St Clair National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, covering approximately 1.38 million hectares  and encompassing more than 20 per cent of Tasmania.

It is one of the last true wilderness regions on Earth. Aboriginal use of the Cradle Mountain area dates from 10,000 years ago. The area ranges from rainforest to grassland, containing ancient plants and a diversity of animals.

Crested Iguana of Fiji

Fiji Post Limited is proud to commemorate the magnificent creature, Brachylophus vitiensis and to bring attention to its protection and ongoing survival. By collaborating  with the WWF organization, Fiji Post Limited issued a set of four stamps feature Brachylophus vitiensis in their habitat on October 2010.

The issue stamps presented in many forms, single stamps, miniature sheet which composed of two set stamps, and local First Day Cover .

The Fiji crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) is a critically endangered species of iguana native to some of the northwestern islands of the Fijiian archipelago, where it is found in dry forest. They are only found in Fiji on the dry leeward islands off Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. They have been found in the Mamanucas, Yasawas, Mali and Macuata Islands.

The Fiji crested iguana is a large stocky lizard distinguished from the Fiji banded iguana by the presence of three narrow, cream to white colored bands on males, rather than the broader bluish bands of the latter species. These whitish bands often have chevrons of black scales close to them.