Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Birds of Prey - 14 January 2003

This is a set of 10 x 1st class stamps, 5 showing the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and 5 the Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) featuring 'sequence-photographs' by Stephen Dalton, the well-known wildlife photographer.

The Barn Owl is one of the more easily identified birds, often appearing as a hostly spectre at night, caught in the card headlights as it swoops across a country road. But barn owls are by no means nocturnal and are often seen at dawn or dusk, quartering a rough grazing meadow in search of small mammals, or perched on a post or even a hedge.

The Kestrel is the UK's most widespread bird of prey, and is easily recognisable as it hovers in open country or over one of the many 'natural' reserves alongside Britain's busy motorways. Although they often hover at some height from the ground they can also be seen perched on telegraph poles or even the tops of bushes no more than 3 metres from the ground, and it is not unknown for a kestrel to be 'flushed' from the ground by a passing pedestrian or cyclist.

block of 10 stamps featuring the Barn Owl and Kestrel

The images are from Royal Mail's Stamp Preview, Postmark Bulletin, and Philatelic Bulletin, and are Copyright 2002/2003 by Royal Mail.

Technical details: The stamps are printed in se-tenant blocks of 10 in sheets of 60. They are printed in 4-colour gravure by Walsall Security Print, perf 14½. The publicity images have normal perforation, ie without eliptical security perforations, as with the Coastlines stamps last year, and some other stamps.


Norvic Exclusive First Day Covers
We are pleased to announce the start of a new series of FDCs exclusive to Norvic Philatelics, produced in a strictly limited edition.
Exclusive Norvic Philatelics 'Barn Owl & Kestrel' cover


For these stamps we have commissioned three different covers.
Note - all bird postmarks for this issue were applied with silver ink so as to show up better against the black background of the owl stamps.

Cover #1 shows, at right, a Barn Owl and, at left, a Kestrel. These covers have all 10 stamps and postmark W8288.

Cover #2 shows an alert female Kestrel. This has the strip of Kestrel stamps with kestrel postmark E8321.

Cover #3 has an excellent study of a Barn Owl against a dark sky. This has the strip of Barn Owl stamps with a Barn Owl postmark E 8322.

Prices:
Cover #1 (10 stamps) - £8.95
Cover #2 or #3 - £6.95

Mint set - £4.25

Exclusive Norvic Philatelics 'Kestrel' cover
Exclusive Norvic Philatelics 'Barn Owl' cover



Special Postamrks available on the Day of Issue .
barn owl - head kestrel - head barn owl barn owl kestrel
Ref FD301
Official Philatelic Bureau FDI postmark
Ref FD302
Official Hawkshead FDI postmark
Ref M8274
Birds of Prey, Birmingham
Ref M8275
The Barn Owl Centre, Brockworth, Gloucester
Ref E8276
Eagle Heights, Eynesford, Dartford, Kent
bird of prey - which one? eagle? cartoon - Barn owl cartoon kestrel? - Buzzard?
Ref E8277
Birds of Prey, *Sandy, Bedfordshire
Ref L8280
Eagle Street, London WC1
Ref E8285
Barn Owl, Owlswick, Princes Risborough
Ref E8286
Kestrel, Wing, Leighton Buzzard
Ref W8288
Barn Owl Close, Torquay
'Hawk' & Owl Bird of Prey Railway locomotive Owl bird of prey
Ref L8292
Bird in Bush Road, London SE15
Ref L8295
Hawk & Owl Trust, London NW1
Ref L8296
The Kestrel & Falcon, King's Cross, London Public House/Inn & mainline railway station
Ref M8303
The Barn Owl, Northampton Public House/Inn
Ref M8304
Newent, Gloucestershire**
 Owl  Eagle?  Snowy? Owl bird of prey Owl, cow, snake, camel, etc
Ref S8315
Bangor, County Down, N. Ireland
Ref S8316
Carradale, Kintyre, Argyll, Scotland
Ref S8317
Edinburgh, Scotland
Ref M8305
Oakham, Leicestershire Oakham is in the County of Rutland which is separate from Leicestershire
Ref M8302
Hoot Farm Animal Kingdom, Telford, Shropshire
 Owl  Kestrel  Barn Owl Kestrel? Owl
Ref E8320
Many Hoots Owl Centre, Studdal, Dover
Ref E8321
Thetford, Norfolk
Ref E8322
Sandy, Bedfordshire*
Ref E8323
Andover, Hampshire
Ref E8324
Ringwood, Hampshire
Parrot <<<<
Ref L8272
Birds around the world, Papagallos Restaurant, Hampshire Close, London N18
 Barn Owl <<<<
Ref N8312
Ravenglass, Cumbria #

* Sandy is the Headquarters of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
**Newent is the location of the National Birds of Prey Centre
# The World Owl Trust is at Muncaster Castle, Hawkshead, near Ravenglass

This page updated 20 June 2003 [7.2.05]

Any questions? please e-mail us.


2003 stamp issues
2004
14 January - Birds of Prey 21 January Flowers Greetings Stamps Smilers Sheet 4 February Occasions/Greetings stamps and Smilers sheet 25 February Medical Science - DNA & Genome 4 March Hello SA booklet & Wales 1st reprint
25 March Fun Fruit & Vegetables 27 March New definitives, SA airmail booklets of 40gr stamps 29 April Extreme Endeavours 6 May 34p definitives 20 May Wilding II miniature sheet
28 May Wales 2nd class, 1st class gold reprints 2 June - 50th Anniversary of the Coronation 17 June Prince William of Wales 1 July High Value Definitive reprints 15 July British Journey - Scotland
29 July Cartoons Smilers Sheet 12 August Pub Signs - Europa 18 September Transports of Delight - toys 30 September Christmas Robin Smilers Sheet 7 October 250th Anniv. of British Museum
13 October Reprints of Country Stamps 4 November Christmas: Ice Sculptures 18 December England World Cup - Rugby Winners
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