2910) River Wildlife, United Kingdom (UK): A set of ten Stamps issued by the Royal Mail UK, printed by Cartor Security Printers depicting Birds and Animals that inhabit the Rivers of the UK: Date of Stamp Set issue: 13.07.2023:
Rivers are among the most spectacular of all UK ecosystems, carving pathways through our history, shaping our landscapes and supplying our water. They feature a remarkable diversity of plants and animals, either adapted to live beneath the water surface or in closely associated habitats to which rivers bring critical life support. But, without protection, river wildlife faces a range of risks.
This stamp issue is a celebration of the diverse birds and animals that inhabit the UK’s rivers and streams:
A Stamp set - Collectible.
The Stamp set includes the following:
i) 2nd Class Beaver:
Beavers (genus Castor) are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (C. fiber). Beavers are the second-largest living rodents, after capybaras, weighing up to 50 kg (110 lb). They have stout bodies with large heads, long chisel-like incisors, brown or gray fur, hand-like front feet, webbed back feet, and tails that are flat and scaly. The two species differ in skull and tail shape and fur color. Beavers can be found in a number of freshwater habitats, such as rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. They are herbivorous, consuming tree bark, aquatic plants, grasses and sedges.
Beavers build dams and lodges using tree branches, vegetation, rocks and mud; they chew down trees for building material. Dams restrict water flow, and lodges serve as shelters. Their infrastructure creates wetlands used by many other species, and because of their effect on other organisms in the ecosystem, beavers are considered a keystone species.
ii) 2nd Class Atlantic Salmon:
The Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into it. Most populations are anadromous, hatching in streams and rivers but moving out to sea as they grow where they mature, after which the adults seasonally move upstream again to spawn.
When the mature fish re-enter rivers to spawn, they change in colour and appearance.
Some populations of this fish only migrate to large lakes, and are "landlocked", spending their entire lives in freshwater. Such populations are found throughout the range of the species.
Unlike Pacific species of Salmon, S. salar is iteroparous, which means it can survive spawning and return to sea to repeat the process again in another year with 5-10% returning to the sea to spawn again.
Such individuals can grow to extremely large sizes, although they are rare.
The different life stages of the fish are known by many different names in English - "alevin", "fry", "parr" and "smolt".
iii) 2nd Class Kingfisher:
Kingfishers are a family - the Alcedinidae - of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes.
They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be seen in Europe. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers.
The family contains 116 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera.
All Kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests.
They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While Kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates.
Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground.
Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction.
In Britain, the word "Kingfisher" normally refers to the common kingfisher.
iv) 2nd Class Beautiful Demoiselle:
The Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) is a species of damselfly in the family Calopterygidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It is often found along fast-flowing waters where it is most at home.
v) 2nd Class Water Vole:
The Water Vole lives along rivers, streams and ditches, around ponds and lakes, and in marshes, reedbeds and areas of wet moorland in burrows in the riverbank, often with a nibbled 'lawn' of grass around the entrance.
Water voles like to sit and eat in the same place, so piles of nibbled grass and stems may be found by the water's edge, showing a distinctive 45 degree, angled-cut at the ends.
Water voles start to breed in spring, having three to four litters a year of up to five young. They live for upto 5 months or so.
The water vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt, rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail. It is much bigger than other vole species. Scotland’s water voles often appear darker, with many having a black coat.
The similar brown rat is larger, with grey-brown fur, a pointed nose, large ears that protrude from its fur, and a long, scaly tail.
Still widespread throughout mainland UK, though range and numbers have significantly declined. Absent from the Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
vi) 1st Class Grey Wagtail:
The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length.
The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat.
The species is always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest.
Outside the breeding season, they may also be seen around lakes, coasts and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations, and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.
vii) 1st Class Common Mayfly:
Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera. This order is part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. Over 3,000 species of mayfly are known worldwide, grouped into over 400 genera in 42 families.
Mayflies have ancestral traits that were present in the first flying insects, such as long tails and wings that do not fold flat over the abdomen.
viii) 1st Class Otter:
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among other animals.
ix) 1st Class Brown Trout:
The Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, Salmo trutta morpha fario, a lacustrine ecotype, S. trutta morpha lacustris, also called the lake trout, and anadromous forms known as the sea trout, S. trutta morpha trutta. The latter migrates to the oceans for much of its life and returns to fresh water only to spawn.
Sea trout in Ireland and Great Britain have many regional names - "Sewin" in Wales, "Finnock" in Scotland, "Peal" in the West Country, "Mort" in North West England, and "White Trout" in Ireland.
x) 1st Class Dipper:
Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.
The First Day Cover (FDC) is titled - "RIVER WILDLIFE" at bottom left. The Stamp set issued is affixed at top right cancelled with a special Cancellation Handstamp/Postmark is of Ottery St. Mary Post Office and the date of cancellation is - "13.07.2023".
The Presentation Pack (PP).
Technical details:
Issue Date: 13.07.2023
Designer: Studio Up
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Process: Lithography, Gum
Size: 41.00 mm x 30.00 mm
Values: 5 Stamps x 2nd Class, 5 Stamps x 1st Class
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