Stamps from Romania Striga - Tyto Alba Barn owls, also known as Screech Owls (because of their drawn-out rasping screech) use barn lofts, caves, old buildings, and church steeples as nesting sites. These incredible and unique birds are noted for their large head and big, penetrating eyes. The eyes are deeply fixed into the skull, making it necessary for them to rotate their heads in order to change their view. Click on the stamps to see a more detailed picture. Barn owls eat a lot of rats and other small rodents. As a result, these birds "clean up" the environment. In fact, whenever there is an over-population of rats, the barn owls breed rapidly as more food becomes available. They also feed on baby rabbits, bats, frogs, lizards, birds and insects. To locate prey, barn owls rely greatly on their silent flight and extremely acute hearing. Their wings are muffled by feathers that are like velvet. In addition, the leading edges of the wing feathers have a fringe or fine comb which deadens the sound of the wing beats. Barn Owls are short-lived birds. Most die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild. Water Rail - Rallus Aquaticus These birds are definitely not song birds. Found all over Central and Eastern Europe, their calls, most often heard at dawn and dusk, are loud squeals, grunts, and groaning likened to the cries of an animal in mortal agony. The Water Rail lives near marshes, swamps, and grassy lakes. It is a shy and secretive bird that can be easily overlooked. Their beaks are red and very long, enabling them to reach far under a muddy surface to catch small insects, worms, and snails. These birds are not the most graceful or skilled when it comes to flying. Although they do undertake lengthy journeys, they often collide with overhead wires and oil rig platforms. They prefer to escape danger using their long, powerful legs rather than by flying away. And when they do fly, their legs are usually dangling. Christopher Columbus - Admiral of the Ocean Sea Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 and raised in Genova, Italy. Genova is a very big and important seaport in Italy. As such, it was only natural for the young Christopher to use the seaport as his playground. All his friends, cousins, and uncles worked and lived near the port. Columbus's family was poor - he dad was a weaver. But although Columbus had little schooling, he was a genius when it came to the sea. He had exploratory ambitions at a very young age. In fact, he couldn't stand to be ashore. He wanted to be out in the sea. Over the years, Columbus collected many maps indicating that China and Japan could be reached by sailing West. But what Columbus didn't know was that all these maps were wrong. Columbus was a captain with no ship. Many people made fun of him because he dressed in rags, had no money, and yet continuously talked about reaching the East by sailing West. Columbus had to find someone to finance his voyage . . . someone who really believed in him. He first proposed his voyage to King Henry of Portugal but the king said no way. Then, in 1492, he persuaded Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to sponsor his voyage. The voyage would be very expensive but Queen Isabella had lots of money and she believed in Christopher Columbus. She admired his sense of adventure, his promise of riches, he was well-spoken and polite. She bought him three ships: The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The Queen also gave Columbus some money and 90 sailors. In August of 1492, the ships set sail and everything was fine and dandy. At first, all the sailors were happy because Columbus promised them that they would become rich. But after one month, many of the sailors were getting sick, tired, stir-crazy, and bored. They were running out of food and if they didn't find land soon, they would all die. Many wanted to sail back to Spain but Columbus wouldn't hear of it. His dream would be shattered and, moreover, if they returned "empty-handed," the Queen would throw a fit and he would be considered a failure. His career as an explorer and navigator would be finished. So Columbus made the sailors a deal: He said, "If we don't find land in three days, we will go back." He offered a prize to the first man to see land. Two times someone shouted, "Land!" but it was a mistake. At last, they saw some birds. They followed the birds. On the 35th day of their journey, two hours after midnight, a sailor on the Pinta shouted "Land!" He could see land by the light of the moon. That morning, October 12, all the men went ashore. They were very happy to be on land. They kissed the sand on the beach. Columbus named that island San Salvador for His Savior because he was so grateful to God for leading his ships to land and not having to sail back to Spain with nothing. Columbus exchanged gifts to the people of the island - the Arawaks. Since he thought he landed in the Indies, he called these people Indians. After some rest and relaxation, Columbus decided it was time to return to Spain. He decided to leave 40 sailors and one ship on a nearby, tropical island called Hispaniola. Columbus was given a hero's welcome when he came into the port of Palos, Spain. He returned to Spain with lots of gifts for the Queen such as silver, gold, pearls, parrots, and even six "Indians" as proof that he made it to the "new world." He was greeted with such joy and enthusiasm that the Queen gave him 17 ships and 1,500 sailors for his next expedition. In the course of 12 years, Columbus traveled to many other islands in the West Indies as well as Honduras, the coast of Florida, Venezuela and Panama. Although he promised his sailors they would become rich, they never found a lot of gold. Some of the sailors accused Columbus as being evil, mean, and cruel so when they returned to Spain, they sent him to jail. Once again, Queen Isabella came to his rescue. She set him free. Columbus decided to go back to the beautiful, tropical island of Hispaniola and look up his old buddies. He loved it there so much he decided to stay for several years. Although Christopher Columbus was a rich man, he wasn't rich in health. He returned to Spain in 1504 and died two years later. He was only 55 years old. Nevertheless, Columbus' maiden voyage in 1492 was made famous throughout Europe and secured for him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea.