Last days to vote for the Polish stamp
The EUROPA 2019 online philatelic competition runs until September 9, 2019. The competition has been organized since 2007 by the Association of European Public Postal Operators, PostEurop. Each year, the postal administrations associated with PostEurop illustrate a different theme, this year's theme being "Birds." A Polish Post stamp, designed by Andrzej Gosik, features a chaffinch.
The competition will be decided by votes from internet users across Europe. We encourage you to vote for the Polish stamp. Simply visit https://www.posteurop.org/europa2019 and cast your vote for the Polish Zięba.
The common chaffinch ( Fringilla coelebs ) is the most abundant bird in Europe. The male's multicolored plumage contrasts with the female's gray coloration. The chaffinch nest is always perfectly camouflaged with pieces of lichen collected from the immediate vicinity, blending seamlessly with the surroundings and making it very difficult to spot. During the breeding season, chaffinches primarily eat insects, including aphids and ants, but also small seeds of forest plants. In autumn and winter, their diet is dominated by seeds. Interestingly, despite the fact that chaffinches occur throughout Europe and winter together in the Mediterranean region, they are attached to their place of origin and return annually to their native forests, parks, or gardens. Furthermore, chaffinches from different regions of Europe have distinct songs. Male song dialects arise from sons learning the sound of their songs from their fathers. That's why German finches sing differently from Polish or French ones, and even finches from Masuria have a different song than those from Silesia. However, it takes exceptional skill to recognize a finch's origins based on its song. This skill was mastered by birdwatchers from the Tyrol and Harz regions, who organized finch singing competitions a century ago.
EUROPA stamps have been issued since 1956, representing an important symbol of Europe's drive for closer integration and cooperation. Since 1993, PostEurop has been responsible for coordinating the EUROPA philatelic project. Over the years, EUROPA stamps have gained enormous popularity among both the postal community and philatelists, as reflected in their involvement and participation in the EUROPA Most Beautiful Stamp Competition. Despite the changing themes of the issues, they always feature the official "Europa" logo – the trademark of the PostEurop association of public postal administrations.