Endemic Birds of New Caledonia Facing Extinction

(written by a former member of the Bird Stamp Society)

Flicking through the Yvert & Tellier 2020 Catalogue for Monaco and French Overseas Territories, I came across the miniature sheet below (issued in 2006) which features three critically endangered birds of New Caledonia (Nouvelle Calédonie).  I thought that it would be interesting to learn more about these three birds; and in particular, to establish if their prospects for survival had improved in the intervening 14 years.  Calédoscope, the philatelic website of the New Caledonian Office des Postes et Télécommunications (OPT) provided a useful starting point for this article. 

Nadia Charles – Draughtswoman & the TAAf Postal Authority

(written by a previous member of the Bird Stamp Society)

This article considers the complete artwork on stamps that we have seen from Nadia Charles, illustrator, artist and draughtswoman. Nadia Charles has done all of her philatelic artwork for the TAAF postal authority, which is based on the Isle of Réunion, which is also where Nadia Charles has her home.  Since 1946, Réunion has enjoyed the status as a Department of the French State and is located in the Indian Ocean, East of Madagascar and South West of Mauritius.

Nadia Charles has carried out numerous works on the flora and fauna of the Isle of Réunion, including both land based and aquatic fauna.  She has also done multiple works of art based on daily life (portraits and scenery) of the different wildlife communities that can be seen in the various natural parks that can be found on Réunion, such artwork being commissioned by the various research and related bodies that are based on the island

Bird Stamps of Belgium: TBC-Post Part 3

The Bird Stamps: Destinations in Belgium

(Written by a former member of the BSS)

The first BE-1 bird stamps issued by TBC-Post featured the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) which were issued under the title “Wild Geese” [Wilde Ganzen/Oies Sauvages].  In this issue, TBC-Post printed a single stamp design for each individual value (BE-1, BE-2 and BE-3).  This approach contrast with later issues that we have already seen, where the EU-1 values were based on 10 different photographs of the African Penguin; and the EU-3 stamps, where there were five birds (two stamps each).

TBC-Post issued these stamps in sheets of ten: BE-1 Wild Goose: 7 November 2012. TBC-Post issued the BE-1 stamp at a price of €0.65.  Today, the cost is €1.60.

BE-2 featured Wild Geese: 7 November 2011, and was priced at €1.30, i.e., twice the BE-1 value. Today, the BE-2 tariff is €3.20. Alongside the three separate sheets, TBC-Post also issued – for individual sale – a First Day Postcard which featured a larger photograph of each stamp design:

Klamath Bird Observatory: Fund Raising Stamps

(This article was written by a former member of the BSS)

Introduction

The Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) is a not for profit bird conservation organisation located in the North West of the United States of America, with its base in Oregon.  The KBO is concerned with bird conservation in the Pacific North West and throughout the ranges of the birds that migrate in that geographical area.   The scope and extent of the KBO’s interests cover the Klamath-Siskiyou Bio-region located across Northern California and Southern Oregon. 

The KBO has both managed and participated in a number of conservation projects, some of which have been centred on monitoring specific birds, including: the Oregon Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus affinis); the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger); and Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias).  KBO’s science projects also include habitat restoration and conservation, as well long-term monitoring of bird populations.

The KBO has issued its own Conservation Science Stamps for a number of years, since 2014. It became an agent for the Federal Duck Stamps in 2017 and since then, has sold the KBO Conservation Science Stamp (priced at $15) alongside the Federal Duck Stamp ($25.00).  

Bearded Vultures and Their Conservation

Written by a former BSS member

About Bearded Vultures

Background

The Bearded Vulture is essentially a scavenger which feeds on the remains of dead mammals, birds and reptiles.  Their preference is for bone marrow (and to get at this, they are adept at smashing bones from height, by dropping the larger ones on rocks); but during the mating season, they mainly feed on carrion.  The Bearded Vulture is one of the most endangered species in Europe.

Within Europe, the Bearded Vulture can be found in limited numbers in the mountainous areas of Spain and France (Pyrennes), the Alpine regions of Italy, Switzerland and Austria; and in the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria); and in Greece.   Just beyond Europe, it is also native in Turkey and Armenia.