Black stork

On June 2, 2005 Belarus Post will issue a set of 4 stamps “Black stork” with logo “WWF”.

Designer: Alexander Mityanin. Printing: offset. Colour: full colour. Paper: chalk surfaced. Perforation: comb 13½: 13¾. Size of the stamps: 37x26 mm. Sheet composition: Nos. 615, 616 — 20 (5x4) stamps; Nos. 617, 618 — 10 vertical strips of two stamps in a sheet. The stamps bear the WWF logo. Print quantity: 120.000 each.

There are elements of protection on the stamps.

 

Black stork in water

 

Black stork flying

 

 

Black stork in the nest

The stamps are also issued in sheetlets of 8 (2 blocks of 4) stamps. Size of the sheet: 166x75 mm. Print quantity: 25.000.

The black stork is a migrant rare bird listed in the Red Book (endangered spices). It usually comes flying for nesting to Belarus from North Africa at the end of March. Experts are worried about the future of this bird. About 7800-12000 couples of these birds build their aeries in Europe and this is a little more than a half of all black storks of the world. The most numerous population of black storks inhabit in Belarus. It is 10-12% of European population — 950-1300 couples. As a result of melioration and deforestation of damp forests the forage reserve of the black stork was undermined and the quantity of the birds diminished. Not many people know about the black stork in Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebk regions of Belarus. The black stork is more often encountered in the Polesye lowland. It is there where this species has most appropriate conditions to inhabit.

Special cancellation: a special cancellation on FDC will be carried out at the Main Post Office of Minsk on the stamps issuing day.

Colour of the postmark — black.

Special postmark and FDC designed by A. Mityan.