Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1130632
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2019 SUMMER is here and that can only mean one thing for na- ture and bird lovers in Malta… the opportunity to experience hundreds of Scopoli's Shearwa- ter rafting on the water before returning to their nests in Ta' Ċenċ cliffs in Gozo. Led by the eNGO's LIFE Arċipelagu Garnija project team, the public take to the seas during sunset to enjoy our islands' amazing wildlife. This bird, known as Ċiefa in Maltese, is the largest of Mal- ta's shearwater species and during the breeding season they can be seen congregating in large numbers on the sea af- ter they return from their for- aging trips, a behaviour known as 'rafting'. Adult shearwaters spend all day at sea, searching for food to bring back to their single chick, and only return to their nest under cover of dark- ness. Malta is home to 3% of the global population of Scopoli's Shearwater (4,000-5,000 pairs), with around 1,000 pairs nesting at Ta' Ċenċ alone. In June and July – which is the peak of this seabird's breed- ing season – hundreds of these birds may be seen gathering at sea at dusk. As darkness falls they begin to leave the water and fly to their burrows in the cliffs of Ta' Ċenċ to take their turn in incubating their egg. This year BirdLife Malta is or- ganising four trips in July. The first two boat trips will take place on Friday 19 and Satur- day 20 July and another two are planned for Friday 26th and Saturday 27 July 2019. All the trips depart from Marfa Jetty (opposite the Rivi- era Hotel) at 7pm except for the 26 July trip which will be a special trip catering for Gozi- tans, departing from and re- turning to Gozo's Mġarr Har- bour. This, however, will be dependent on the number of bookings received and this ar- rangement will only go ahead if the boat is full. Should this trip not be fully-booked, it will instead leave from Marfa Jetty like the other three trips. The Scopoli's Shearwater have been for more than 12 years the subject of ongo- ing studies by BirdLife Malta through several EU LIFE- funded projects which have been researching the lives of these secretive birds with the aim of creating marine pro- tected areas to safeguard them. This became a reality in 2016 when thanks to BirdLife Malta and its partners, an inventory of eight marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) where these seabirds breed was created, and these were designated as marine Special Protection Ar- eas (SPAs) within the Natura 2000 network by the Maltese government, supported by the European Commission. This gives Malta's seabirds full protection on land and at sea. BirdLife Malta's an- nual LIFE Arċipelagu Garnija Shearwater Boat Trips take place within the waters of one of these marine SPAs. For more details and to book a place on one of these boat trips, one should visit the event webpage on BirdLife Malta's website https://bird- lifemalta.org Last year over 300 mem- bers of the public experienced first-hand this unique natural spectacle... if you would like to experience it this year hurry to book your seat as places are limited! Witness the spectacle of Malta's shearwater birds up close and at sea