Japan- Crow Constellation

For something a bit different in the way of bird stamps, this recent issue of the Crow Constellation from Japan arrived on a circuit cover. The stamp is from the popular  3rd Constellation series issued July 2013.

Indonesia- Flores hawk-eagle

A trio of Flores Hawk-Eagles ( Spizaetus flores) flew in from Malang, Indonesia applied on a commemorative envelope for the Year of the Snake 2013. This critically endangered, large handsome eagle, endemic to the Lesser Sunda islands feeds on lizards, l birds, snakes and small mammals.

Bulgaria- Lesser- Spotted Eagle

My first real posted cover from Bulgaria was flown in with a Lesser -spotted eagle,  Aquila pomarina on a pre-paid cover with a pelican cache. Postmarked in Plovdiv.

Norway-European Shag

This is a self-adhesive stamp from a year  2000 booklet. The bird is a European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) which is one of the deepest divers of the shag family, it breeds on the rocky coasts of Western Europe and does not travel inland.

The stamp, cancelled in Bergen, Norway, is an ideal "traveling bird" as there is a full postmark with a legible name.

Taiwan-Owls 2013

After releasing "Owls of Taiwan" stamp sets in 2011 and 2012, here is the third and final set featuring an
Eastern Grass Owl ( Tyto longimembris) Collared Scops Owl  ( Otus lettia), Tawny Fish Owl (Ketupa flavipes) and a  Ryukyu Scops owl (Otus elegans).
Designed again by Chi-jen Lai ,the engravers are Qian Zhao De, Huang Lian Cai, Chou Mei Ling and Chen Yueh Guey.
Here is a real posted FDC sent to me by George who also provided the images of the hidden engravings in the stamps.