Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2019 LITERATURE ENVIRONMENT It is high time we revisited one of our best-known birds: the blue rock thrush. Not because it is particularly com- mon or easy to see – it isn't. The reason is that in the early 1970s il-merill was dubbed Malta's national bird, and by default found its way into the primary school social stud- ies syllabus. Now a valued VIP, the bird gained a sort of diplomatic immunity and became a protected species - a wise move, as this resident, non-migratory bird was be- ing hunted (or its nest robbed) to extinction in Malta. The blue rock thrush is a bird of open country, especially sea- cliffs, where it nests in holes and crevices, disused build- ings or crumbling fortifications. If you're sitting near the edge of a cliff enjoying the sea breeze, the magical fluty notes of the male merill are the perfect complement to the bucolic scene. Text: Victor Falzon Photo: Aron Tanti 667. BLUE ROCK THRUSH Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 563: Book your seat at: www.foemalta.org/film LOCAL band Footprints will shortly be launching its' fourth studio album 'We Are', which is a collection of 11 new original songs written and recorded by the band during the last three years. The album was mixed and produced by the band members themselves and the songs feature a variety of rock influences from In- die Rock to Alternative Rock styles which in- spired the band during the making of this new album. Last year the album launch was preceded by the release of a music video for the first single 'We Are'. This album is a follow-up to the album 'Gheruq' which contained original songs in Maltese released in 2016. In preparation for the album launch, the band has released its second single 'Who Do You Think You Are?'. More information about the band and about the album is available on the band's Facebook Page:- https://www.facebook.com/Footprints- malta/ Footprints to launch second studio album THIS is not your typical book: it speaks about a religious yet theatrical theme that up till this day, has not yet been tackled in Malta. This book has been meticu- lously researched yet it still has the capability to express a certain dynamic which many readers can associate with Mario Azzopardi. For this new release, Azzo- pardi is using his theatrical expertise to produce a mys- tical experience, and hence arouse intrigue within his story-telling. There can be some individ- uals who may consider this as an obsessive, pathological behaviour. There is no doubt that it is an eccentric telling, and also there is no doubt about the demonic hallucinations that continuously haunt these saints in this book. It is a very graphic narration, which may or may not be a tad disturbing, or else may be deemed a bit confusing to the general public. In its original Appendix, Azzopardi creates a dramatic draft based on the notori- ous case of Marie-Catherine Cadière against her confes- sor, the Jesuit Jean-Baptiste Girard, who was accused of seducing her in 1731. 'Vergni Sagri, Demonji u Boloh ghal Alla' Books by Mario Azzopardi