2008 - Alderney Resident Raptors

Most people know what a bird of prey is, but wouldn’t necessarily know the term ‘raptor’, which means the same thing. Yet it somehow conveys the aggressive nature of these birds, which may be elegant and impressive to us as they go about satisfying their hunger, but do so in a ruthless way that we wouldn’t like to see in a human.

In order to survive, these airborne assassins need a ready supply of creatures on which to feast and Alderney, with its largely unspoilt terrain including rambling common land and windswept, unpopulated cliffs, provides a plentiful menu.

Our six stamps feature the: Common Buzzard;  Buteo buteo, Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, Barn Owl Tyto, Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus and the Long-eared Owl Asio otus.