Birds of the Bailiwicks

 

On May 24, 2011,  Alderney Post issued the stamp series depicts birds of the Bailiwicks. This issue represented in many formats, a beautiful miniature sheet and single stamps. All issues depicts the bird species such as: Mediterranean Gull, Common Shelduck , Common Firecrest , Balearic Shearwater, Eurasian Woodcock   and   Little Grebe.

 

36p -Mediterranean Gull ( Ichthyaetus melanocephalus )

The Mediterranean Gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus, is a small gull which breeds almost entirely in Europe, mainly in the south east, especially around the Black Sea, and in central Turkey.

  

There are colonies elsewhere in southern Europe, and this species has undergone a dramatic range expansion in recent decades.This species is 36-38 cm long with a 98-105 cm wingspan.This gull breeds in colonies in large reed beds or marshes, or on islands in lakes.

This bird takes two years to reach maturity. First year birds have a black terminal tail band and more black areas in the upper wings, but have pale under wings. This is a noisy species, especially at colonies, with a nasal "yeah" call.

The Mediterranean Gull is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

 

 

45p - Common Shelduck   ( Tadorna tadorna )

The Common Shelduck resembles a small short-necked goose in size and shape. It is a striking bird, with a reddish-pink bill, pink feet, a white body with chestnut patches and a black belly, and a dark green head and neck. 

The wing coverts are white, the primary remerges black, and the secondary green (only showing in flight) and chestnut. The under wings are almost entirely white. Sexes are similar, but the female is smaller, with some white facial markings, while the male is particularly crisply coloured in the breeding season, his bill bright red and bearing a prominent knob at the forehead.

This species is mainly associated with lakes and rivers in open country, breeding in rabbit burrows, tree holes, haystacks or similar. In winter it is common on suitable estuaries and tidal mudflats as well.

This bird is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. 

 

48p - Common Firecrest  (Regulus ignicapilla )

The Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family, a small plump bird, 9 cm  in length with a wingspan of 13–16 cm and weighs 4–7 g. It has bright olive-green upper parts with a bronze-coloured patch on each shoulder, and whitish under parts washed with brownish-grey on the breast and flanks. 

 

It has two white wing bars, a tiny black pointed bill, and brownish-black legs. The head pattern is striking, with a black eye stripe, long white supercilium, and a crest which is bright yellow in the female and mainly orange in the male. The sexes are very similar, apart from the crest colour, although the female is a little duller in plumage and on average slightly smaller.

It breeds in most of temperate Europe and north-western Africa, and is partially migratory, with birds from central Europe wintering to the south and west of their breeding range. 

 
  
52p - Balearic Shearwater ( Puffinus mauretanicus )

The Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater.

This species breeds on islands and coastal cliffs in the Balearic islands. Most winter in that sea, but some enter the Atlantic in late summer, reaching north to Great Britain and Ireland. This species nests in burrows which are visited only at night to avoid predation by large gulls. The Balearic Shearwater feeds on fish and molluscs. It does not follow boats.

This bird is approximately 35–40 cm long, with an 85–90 cm wingspan. It has the typically "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few wing beats, the wingtips almost touching the water. This bird looks like a flying cross, with its wing held at right angles to the body, and it changes from dark brown to dirty white as the dark upperparts and paler undersides are alternately exposed as it travels low over the sea.

It is under severe threat from the development of holiday resorts near its breeding sites, and also from animals such as cats and rats.  The Balearic Shearwater is considered critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN.

This is a gregarious species, which can been seen in large numbers from boats or headlands, especially on in autumn. It is silent at sea, but at night the breeding colonies are alive with raucous cackling calls, higher pitched than the Manx Shearwater's. 

 

58p- Eurasian Woodcock    (Scolopax rusticola)

The Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola, is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. 

Its eyes are set far back on its head to give it 360-degree vision and it probes in the ground for food with its long, sensitive bill, making it vulnerable to cold weather when the ground remains frozen.

The Eurasian Woodcock has a large range,  stable population trend and large population size, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern.

The most important threat to the population of the Eurasian Woodcock in the breeding range is the increased fragmentation of its woodland habitat. At other times of year, a reduction in the amount of permanent grassland and an increase in the intensification of farming are also threats, and the species' susceptibility to avian influenza may have an impact in future.

The Eurasian Woodcock's required breeding habitat is large, unfragmented areas of broadleaved deciduous or mixed broadleaved and coniferous forest, with dense undergrowth of plants such as Brambles, Holly, Hazel, Gorse, Bracken or Bilberry. Breeding territories must include a mix of dry, warm resting places, damp areas for feeding, and clearings for flight 

 
 
  65p- Little Grebe  (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 

The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), member of the grebe family of water birds.  it is the smallest European member of its family .They  has  23 to 29 cm in length. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.