Birds linking countries
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Geoffrey Saliba
BirdLife Malta Campaigns Coordinator
Every autumn millions of birds leave Europe and head south in search of a more hospitable place away from the cold and lack of food that European winter brings with it. Many migratory birds spend the winter in Africa after crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert.
This Marsh Harrier was one of the European birds which every autumn pass over Malta en route to their wintering grounds. Photo by Ray Camilleri.
These birds use three main routes to travel between Europe and Africa – the west over Spain and Gibraltar, the east over the Bosporus and Turkey, and the central Mediterranean. Their travels take them across vast areas, crossing continents, linking countries.
Protecting wild birds and their habitats is a task the global NGO BirdLife strives to achieve. With partners in over 100 different countries and territories BirdLife partners can protect birds travelling on any of the migratory routes as well as their breeding and wintering grounds.
Nearly 400 bird species have been recorded migrating over Malta. Through these birds Malta is linked to at least 48 other African and European countries. For many of these birds, the Maltese Islands are important resting spots during the exhausting crossing of the Mediterranean.
Approximately 10% of the world population of Yelkouan Shearwater breeding in Malta. Extensive research into these shy seabirds using state of the art technology is placing Malta firmly on the forefront of seabird research. Photo by Andre Raine.
To ensure that birds looking to stop over in Malta find suitable habitat, the BirdLife partner in Malta, BirdLife Malta, manages two nature reserves – Is-Simar in Xemxija and Ghadira in Mellieha, and the Foresta 2000 afforestation site in Mellieha.
The Foresta 2000 site is Malta’s largest afforestation site. The intention behind the project, managed by BirdLife Malta together with Din l-Art Helwa and PARKS department of the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, is to recreate Mediterranean woodland – an important habitat for a host of biodiversity.
The reserves on the other hand, are wetland habitats which have almost disappeared from the islands. Apart from being important as resting spots for migrating birds, a few bird species only breed at the reserves. The reserves are also visited by primary school children during the week and are open to the general public on the weekends, allowing people to experience the wetlands and their wildlife first hand.
Bee-eaters can be heard before they can be seen, and a flock of Bee-eaters is one of the most beautiful springtime sights. Photo by Aaron Tanti.
Since birds are only present in any location for a specific time of the year, conserving habitats in any one location will only be of benefit for that time period. Research into where the birds go and how they live outside of this time period is key to protecting them further. To this end, BirdLife Malta manages an EU funded project – the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater project, which researches the elusive Yelkouan Shearwater.
This shy seabird only comes ashore during the breeding season, spending the rest of its life at sea. To research this bird, the project uses state of the art lightweight tags, which fit onto the birds’ backs or legs and record or transmit data on the birds’ flight. Data gathered this way has revealed the birds fishing areas and migratory routes, placing Malta firmly at the forefront of seabird research. The data will help Malta identify and protect the most important maritime areas for wildlife, assuring that these amazing creatures can be enjoyed in years to come.
Malta can be an interesting place to observe wild birds with something happening almost throughout the year. During spring and autumn, migration can a trickle, with barely any birds passing through, or a steady flow, with the sky above the most popular roost sites filled with birds of prey. February sees thousands of ducks including rare threatened species, passing through the channel linking Malta to its smaller sister island Gozo. Summer brings with it thousands of breeding Cory’s Shearwaters, easily seen by boat, rafting outside their colonies waiting for dark to fall before entering their nests. With some planning, those interested in seeing wildlife could be in for a treat.
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