Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1300177
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2020 7 ALMANAC Nature 732. Eurasian Sparrowhawk THE Eurasian sparrowhawk (M. sparvier) is one of the less common birds of prey that migrate over our islands. As a raptor, it comes sort of midway between a falcon – small, long-tailed and agile – and a broadwing, with wide wings on which it can soar as effortlessly as an eagle. The sparrowhawk's wings are rather short, though, and there's a reason for that. Sparrowhawks are woodland birds, and their wings are perfectly shaped for excellent manoeuvrability as the bird dodges trees and branches in hot pursuit of small birds, homing in on them like a heat-seeking missile. You can't pull off such stunts with long wings, you'd collide with the nearest twig. Despite the name, by the way, it's not just sparrows that feature on the sparrowhawk's menu, but all small woodland birds like tits, robins, finches, you name it. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 625 What's in season - October LOCAL fruits and vegetables picked in season have more flavour and are more nutritious. Their carbon footprint is minimised by the fact that they require little transport. In October, olives are in season. Olive trees are evergreen trees found in most Mediterranean coun- tries. A very long time ago the olive trees grew all over Malta, they can be grown in all types of soil, as long as the soil is at least three meters deep. These trees need plenty of sunshine to produce olives. The olive tree is very tenacious and can live for up to 500 years.The olive fruit is usually ripe by October. An olive tree usually bears fruit when it is at least four years old. Buy local olives and try our Sand tart with olives recipe https://foemalta.org/fab/food/veggies/olives/ foemalta.org/library Appster Smartphone fun and smarter work MyFitnessPal Free Available on Apple, Android MyFitnessPal is a smartphone app and website that tracks diet and exercise. The app uses gamification elements to motivate users. To track nutrients, users can either scan the barcodes of various food items or manually find them in the app's large pre- existing database. TECH RETAILERS contact afarrugia@ mediatoday.com.mt A GOOD WEEK FOR Good Week/Bad Week Don't miss this A BAD WEEK FOR 55th National Exhibition of Photography 2020 6 to 26 November 2020 Art Galleries, Palazzo de La Salle, Malta Society of Arts, Valletta Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 1pm Entrance is free. Malta's yearly exhibition of the best photographic works by local photographers, organised by the Malta Photographic Society. Kyle Burgess, who while jogging on his trail in Utah (US), came face to face with a life-or-death situation when he crossed paths with a cougar. He was pursued by the mountain lion for a full six minutes . Recalling the encounter, Kyle says: "If she wanted to take me down, she totally could have." James Bond fans, as the latest installment in the franchise 'No Time to Die,' has been delayed until 2 April 2021. "We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time To Die next year," a statement on their website said. Burgess caught the six minute encounter on his phone 'No Time to Die' was orginally due for release this November