Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Read from BBC: "Saudi Arabia 'detains' Israeli vulture for spying". Hands on the Griffon. See world stamps featuring the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

From my personal collection: Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) - Romanian stamp from a nice series of 8 stamps from 1967.
Yes, it's a CTO (cancelled-to-order) stamp.
So what? I like it - I keep it.
It would have been cool to have it really circulated, or still on a cover, or on a maximum card, but hey!...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12120259#

See other world stamps featuring the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus):
http://www.birdtheme.org/species/imagespage.php?spec=1206&fl=G

Gyps, not Gypsy
"The Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.

The Griffon Vulture is 93–110 cm (37–43 in) long with a 230–269 cm (91–106 in) wingspan, and it weighs between 6 and 13 kg (13.2 and 29 lb). "

"Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks. It grunts and hisses at roosts or when feeding on carrion."
Don't mess with a Griffon while it's eating HISS food - it may become DISGRUNTLED.
CARRION, child!

The Griffon Vulture can live as long as a longeviv human.
Since when is CARRION a healthy diet?
"Little is known about the average life-span of these birds, but it is approximated at 50 to 70 years in the wild, but the oldest death recorded in captivity is 118 years old.[1]
It breeds on crags in mountains in southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia, laying one egg. Griffon Vultures may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident."

See cool maximum cards with Griffon Vulture (and dogs, and other subjects) in the photobucket album of my philatelic friend and fellow maximaphilist [strictly traditional FIP, I might specify :) ] "Tangorn", from Israel: