BirdLife welcomes visitors at nature reserves

This weekend, BirdLife Malta will welcome feathered and non-feathered visitors to the two Nature Reserves of Għadira, near Mellieha, and Is-Simar, in Xemxija, as countries around the world celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on the 11 and 12 May.

This year, the theme of World Migratory Bird Day is the importance of networks of protected areas for the conservation of migratory bird species. "This is a very appropriate theme for the Maltese Islands," BirdLife Malta's Conservation Manager Nicholas Barbara said.

"Malta is the most developed nation in the European Union and as such, its protected natural sites, which include Nature Reserves and Bird Sanctuaries, are even more valuable to wildlife, especially migrating birds," he added.

This week, visitors to Għadira Nature Reserve have been treated to rare, close-up views of a migrating Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), which made itself at home in the lagoon at the internationally important wetland for a week.

The uncommon migratory visitor to the Maltese Islands was able to rest and replenish its energy reserves by feeding on the fish in the lake, while volunteers helped to maintain a vigilant watch on the bird while it stayed in the reserve, carrying out overnight-watches to safeguard against the possibility that the Spoonbill might attract the attentions of poachers.

The efforts of BLM volunteers ensured the safety of the Spoonbill while it remained in the reserve and at 6am on Wednesday morning it left and was seen flying out to sea to continue its northward migration to its ultimate destination- its breeding grounds in Europe.

The Maltese Islands are an important stopover for birds migrating in the spring from Africa to Europe, where they breed in the summer months before returning to Africa in the autumn. This spring, some 60 different bird-species, most of them migratory, have been recorded at Għadira and Simar alone.

Both reserves are the sites of year-round scientific bird ringing studies, which help orntihologists to monitor both bird migration and the state of local breeding bird populations.

Mark Gauci, BirdLife Malta's Reserves Manager and the head of Malta's scientific bird-ringing scheme, said: "we have seen good numbers of many bird species in the Nature Reserves this spring, especially migrating songbirds, like Wood Warblers and Garden Warblers. Visitors to the reserves should be able to hear and see these birds- and reserves staff and volunteers are always on hand to help identify unknown birds and their calls."

Anyone who visits the Nature Reserves at the moment will also see lots of migratory House Martins, Sand Martins, Barn Swallows (collectively known as Hirundines) and Swifts performing astonishing aerobatic feats as they hunt for insects on the wing, often flying just above the surface of the lakes in the early morning and late afternoon.

Apart from the migratory birds which visit briefly en route to their European breeding grounds, the reserves also provide ideal habitat for many breeding birds, including species that breed nowhere else in the Maltese Islands

Is-Simar currently has a pair of Coots rearing four young chicks. The adults and the young can be seen easily from the bird-watching hides around the lake as they paddle in the shallow water, feeding and playing.

Meanwhile, at Għadira, six adult Black-winged Stilts can be seen on the lake and islands throughout the day. BirdLife's Conservation Manager, Nicholas Barbara, said: "we hope that some of these birds will form pairs in the coming weeks and will stay to breed in the reserve this summer. Black-winged Stilts are a relatively new breeding bird for the Maltese Islands, and to have new birds breeding is really the best possible reward for all the hard work that has gone in to creating and maintaining the wetland habitat at the reserve over the years."

Meanwhile, BirdLife said that visitors can enjoy other aspects of nature, beyond birds. It said anyone interested in native plants, insects and other wildlife will be greeted by carefully restored and managed indigenous habitats that support a wealth of native species, including Malta's national tree, the Sandarac Gum Tree (or Għargħar).

Għadira Nature Reserve will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm, and Is-Simar Nature Reserve, in Xemxija, is open on Sunday only, again from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

To find out more about visiting the Nature Reserves visit www.birdlifemalta.org or find the reserves pages on facebook.