CROATIA ~ Nature Reserve -Lokrum Island ~

Lots of wonderful views on this great panoramic postcard... Thanks a lot Jobbo!!

Photo: Ju Reservat Lokrum i Katija Dolina,Dr sc. The island covers 72 hectares and is located on the eastern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea, near the city of Dubrovnik. About 15 minutes is needed to get there by taxi-boat which runs from the old city harbour. No hotels have been built on the land and the destination is for day-trippers only.

Lokrum is a Nature and a Special Forest Vegetation Reserve under the protection of UNESCO. Except with the rich forest vegetation, this little island is adorned with a botanical garden filled with exotic plants, eucalyptus, cacti and similar species, as well as with the remains of the 12th century basilica, a 15th century convent and a 19th century summer mansion of Maximilian of Habsburg, with gardens and parks.

Stamp:

Euromed - Boats of the Mediterranean
(Issued 09-07-2015)

SLOVAKIA ~ Čachtice Castle of the Blood Countess

...Beautiful postcard showing the ruin of the “mysterious castle ”  placed on a hill with  breathtaking view...
and  a horrible legend about the Countess... Thanks a lot Petra!!

Photo: Ladislav Renner From backside card:
Within the Trenčín Region, lies the ruins of Cachtice castle (a National Cultural Monument). The best known owner was the infamously cruel Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Legends tells about her bathing in the blood of young virgins to retain her beauty. However she did not escape punishment...

 The castle became later the prison of the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who is alleged to have been the world's most prolific female serial killer. After her trial Elizabeth lived in the wall for four years, without any light or fresh air. She died on 21 August 1614 at the age of 54 years.

The Čachtice Castle stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason.


Stamp:
Europe 2009 - Astronomy
(Issued 28-05-2009)

ITALY ~Nature Park Alta Valle Pesio and Tanaro - Chamois ~

... Great new addition for my Nature Parks collection...Thanks a lot Gian Luca!!

Established in 1978, the Alta Valle Pesio and Tanaro Nature Park was one of the first protected areas in Piedmonte  and occupies an area of ​​6,770 hectares. The park is formed by the two valleys of the Upper Pesio and Tanaro, which originate from opposite sides of the highest peak of the Ligurian Alps, Mount Marguareis (2,651 m.)
.
The Pesio valley is lush and green, covered by a dense forest that goes all the way up to the feet of the Marguareisn,  the Tanaro valley side of the park, on the other hand, is very dry.
The park supports a very rich and varied fauna, that includes a large presence of ungulates (chamois, deer, roe deer, wild boars).

The chamois is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the Pyrenees, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive.

Stamps:

Posta Italiana
(Issued 10-08-2013)

Posta Italiana:
(Issued 01-07-2010)

RUSSIA ~ Siberia - Golden Mountains of Altai Republic- Lower Shavlinskoe Lake - UNESCO ~

...the sky and the view...breathtaking scenery... Thanks Oleg!!

Photo: Alexandr Ermolitsky The Altai Republic is a small mountainous republic in Russia, southern Siberia, close to the borders of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China. It is a spectacularly beautiful and unspoiled land of forests, alpine meadows, and mountain peaks reaching heights of more than 4,500m. The name "Altay" (or "Altai") comes from Mongolian "Altan", which means "golden", and in 1998, UNESCO inscribed five separate natural regions, the "Golden Mountains of Altai", as a World Heritage Site.

The mountains have several undisturbed glaciers and provide the source of main rivers like the Ob. Lower Shavlinskoe Lake is located 5 km away from Upper one at a height of 1725 m. The length is 800 m and the width is 500 m.

The mountains are the habitat of several globally endangered mammals, such as the snow leopard and the Altai argali.



Stamp:
Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art
(Issued 01-08-2011)

USA ~Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument-UNESCO ~

Wonderful postcard showing one of the most amazing and fascinating sea creatures...unfortunately nearly all species of sea turtle are classified as endangered :(...Thanks a lot Judy!!

With great stamps especially the Johny Cash stamp!!

 

Photographer-Pete Leary Located on the far northern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, Midway Atoll is located within the country's largest conservation area, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. It is one the oldest atoll formations in the world. Midway Atoll is the remote, unincorporated U.S. territory where the Battle of Midway occurred in 1942. This ring of volcanic islands and reefs is now home to millions of birds (including the world's largest Laysan albatross colony) as well as seals, turtles, dolphins, and myriad fish species.

From back of the card:
Green sea turtles are spotted frequently in the lagoon on Midway Atoll. They take 20 to 50 years to reach maturity and will weigh an average of 440 pounds (200kg). The turtles enjoy sunning themselves on the beaches after swim.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a World Heritage listed, U.S. national monument encompassing 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) (an area larger than the country of Greece) of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, internationally recognized for both its cultural and natural values.

PHILIPPENES ~El Nido ~

...Another beautiful tropical beach paradise and known as the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines...Thanks a lot!!



With nice tiny stamp "Marine Biodiversity"
(Issued 04-11-2011)

@2013 El Nido Boutique Art Cafe
El Nido  is a first class municipality and managed resource protected area in the province of Palawan . It is about 420 kilometres (260 mi) southwest of Manila, and about 238 kilometres (148 mi) northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital.

To conserve this rare natural resource, the Bacuit Bay area of El Nido has been established by the Department of Natural Resources as a Marine Reserve.

El Nido Marine Reserve Park is occupying an area of 96,000 hectares, this popular nature spot boasts of diverse ecosystems such as rainforest, mangroves, white sand beaches, coral reefs, and limestone cliffs.  Blessed with extraordinary natural scenery, El Nido is, the sanctuary of various forms of wildlife. Many varieties of fish are also found here. Manta rays are a common sight; when in season, divers may see one of the world's rarest marine mammal, the sea cow, known locally as "dugong".

SRI LANKA ~The Knuckles Mountain Range - UNESCO~

Thanks a lot Ravindra for this wonderful nature view and new UNESCO site...



And as usual with many nice stamps!

The Knuckles Mountain Range is part of the Hill Country of Sri Lanka which is also above 3000 Ft or 915 Mts. from sea level and covers an area of about 90 Sq.Miles or 234 Sq.Km of land extent.
The reason to call it Knuckles is because there is a mountain with five peaks in itself, that looks like the knuckles of a clenched fist when seen from Kandy area.

The Sri Lankan name for this mountainous area is "Dumbara Mitiyawatha" which means "The Misty Vally". Since this inner mountainous area is off the motoring roads, it remains as an unspoilt nature reserve even today.

Knuckles Mountain Range became  a World Heritage site by UNESCO at the world heritage conference in Brazil in 31 of July 2010.

FRANCE ~ Fontainebleau Forest - UNESCO tentative List ~

...Great nature views...with 15 million visitors a year the forest is one of France's major tourist destinations...Thanks Fabienne!!


Nice stamp: Cranes of Japan UNESCO
(Issued12-11-2013)

Fontainebleau forest is a 136 hectare reserve protected since 1853 with mainly oak, Scots pine and beech - heath lands, open rock areas of sandstone, wetlands and semi-permanent ponds.  It is particularly known for its unique rock formations and soft white sand that makes it the Mecca of Rock climbers. It is in the Ile de France region some 70km south-east of Paris.

 It became the 356th  Biospere Reserve in 1998 and is on the Tentative UNESCO list since 1996.

RUSSIA ~Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve - UNESCO~

...Great view of one of the most most northerly and isolated islands on the planet... and home of the polar bear ... the first species to become endangered because of global warming and climate change!! :(
Many Thanks Galina!!


With nice stamps:
Definitives series - Russian Kremlins - Moscow Kremlin
(Issued 01-10-2009)
100th Anniversary of Shipbuilding Plant "Severnaya Verf"
 (Issued 01-10-2012)

Wrangel Island is a Russian island in the Arctic Circle. This amazing snow-covered island is a haven for fabulous arctic wildlife, it  is famous as the breeding ground of polar bears (along with Herald Island), seals, walruses, lemmings and a summer breeding ground for birds and whales. Arctic fox also make their home on the island.The islands are two of the closest to the North Pole.

Wrangel Island may have been the last place on earth where mammoths survived. It was discovered 162 years ago.

There are no humans on this island, only a few people  work at the nature reserve and the staff at the arctic meteorological station who study the island’s fragile ecosystems, it is recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004 for its unspoilt natural environment.

The Wrangel Island Reserve did not even freeze during the Ice Age, when temperatures across the planet dropped for a long period. As a result, very rare ecosystems have evolved here in distinctive ways, and they are regarded as valuable.

BULGARIA ~Srebarna Nature Reserve-UNESCO~

...Great view ...must be heaven for birdlovers and birdwatching...Thanks a lot Lilia!!

With matching stamp:Bulgarian regions-North Eastern Bulgaria (Issued 24-11-2010)
Defenitives:Thracian gold treasure of Panagurishte (Issued 15-11-1999)

"A variety of legends surround the naming of Lake Srebarna one of them tells of a boat full of silver that lies somewhere along its shores! Srebro is the Bulgarian word for silver so the myth may have its roots in fact, although a more likely explanation is that the name was inspired by the silvery reflections of the full moon in the lakes surface."
The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake bordering to the Danube river over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of bird, many of which are rare or endangered It isAlso a bird migration route between Europe and Africa Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill, white-tailed eagle, little cormorant.

The reserve was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

NEW ZEALAND ~Rotorua~

...I so wish it was me wandering through this amazing Wildlife Park (22 acres) and see all the native trees, animals and even the really rare Kiwi... Thanks a lot Jeanette!!

With two great stamps:
New Zealand Post has issued the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps (2012) to mark this prestigious anniversary.Featuring silver foiling on metallic silver ink, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps reflect this prestigious anniversary.
And a stamp from a set 10 self adhesive stamps of Lake Coleridge.

Rainbow Springs:
Background - Bushwalk through native and exotic bush.
Top left - New Zealand's Native Wood Pigeon
Top right - Tuatara, a reptile native to New Zealand.
Btm right-Rainbouw trout.

Roturua, New Zealand's biggest tourist destination has many things to offer: Maori cultural centers, natural wonders. It is also the area with the most geothermal activity.