[press release] [translated by Google]
PostNL Maps Endangered Shorebirds
Issue date: June 15

The Hague, June 15, 2020 – The dune and coastal area of the Netherlands is the breeding ground for a large part of the Dutch breeding birds. You can also see bird species that are found nowhere else in the Netherlands. Today, 10 stamps from the series “Experience nature” show 10 beautiful, but endangered shorebirds.

4 issues in 2020
On the 10 stamps Experience nature – shorebirds the following birds are depicted: little tern, lesser hunter, turnstone, snow bunting, kittiwake, great black-backed gull, sand lark, avocet, purple sandpiper and sand plover. Stamps on birds of prey and owls (January 2) and farmland birds (February 24) appeared earlier this year. Last in 2020, PostNL will issue stamps on forest and heather birds (14 September). In a separate sale a stamp sheetlet Experience nature costs € 9.10. The price for the full series 2020 is € 36.40, including storage folder.

Golden color of the summer sun
The stamps with the 10 shorebirds were designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. Due to the summer season in which the stamps come out, the yellow of the beach and dunes dominates, with deep blue skies and the golden color of the summer sun. Janse: “I also selected the photos for that. I did not have to edit the colors, because they were already there. The strong background colors contrast nicely with the drawing of the birds. They are predominantly white, black and gray, with some yellow and red accents on the beach lark and snow bunting. ”

Red List
Bird stamps show particularly difficult species. Most are on the red list of breeding birds in the Netherlands or on the red list of migrants / hibernators in the Netherlands. Stephan van den Eijnden, PostNL’s commercial director of Mail, says that the birds in our country are indeed not doing well. “For example, 87 bird species are on the red list of breeding birds. That is 44% of all species that breed in our country. 10 species are critically endangered, such as the short-eared owl and the forest monkey. ”

Divergent copies
Coastal birds can be distinguished into breeding birds, overwinterers and birds that visit our coast during the annual migration. The stamps show a variety of specimens, from the imposing great black-backed gull to the small snow bunting, the most northerly nesting songbird. Most shorebirds on the stamp sheet have seen designer Janse in his early years as a bird lover. “The great black-backed gull was one of my favorites in my youth. With that striking head and that typical whining sound. They are big animals and that made an impression. ”

Availability
The stamp sheet Experience the Nature – Coastal Birds has 10 different stamps with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from June 15, 2020 at all PostNL points of sale, the post office in the Bruna stores and via the webshop [direct link]. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.