Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1391768
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JULY 2021 9 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 770. Tree sparrow WHEREVER you are in Malta you're probably never more than a stone's throw from a sparrow, perched somewhere preening itself or being plain noisy. That would be the ubiquitous Spanish spar- row, our familiar ghasfur tal-bejt. But there's another, closely related but much less known sparrow out there, and that's the tree sparrow (M. gahgah). It looks a lot like its cousin but closer inspection will reveal a neat black patch on a white cheek. Tree sparrows too nest in Malta but they're not common – indeed BirdLife studies show that its population is in decline. Despite their name, tree sparrows aren't much attracted to trees, they are farmland birds and generally nest in cracks in walls of old buildings or quiet villages outskirts. The strange Maltese name is an imitation of its flight call, a sharp high- pitched 'jik' or 'jijik'. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 662: Find out more about Maltese nature on our blog: www.foemalta.org/plantofthemonth July Flower of the Month: The Chaste Tree MT: Siġra tal-Virgi PURPLE and lilac are once again the colours of this month's fea- tured flower thanks to the spectacular blooming of the Chaste Tree which occasionally has pinkish lighter flowers. Known with vari- ous names in both Maltese (Għadiba, Bżar tal-Patrijiet) and English (Chasteberry, Monk's Peppers) this deciduous Mediterranean spe- cies is one of the only indigenous shrubs to bloom against all odds in the hottest, driest months providing a blessing to many insects at a time when hardly anything else flowers in the countryside. The fragrant leaves start falling in autumn when its fruits become more prominent in the form of black, hard seeds looking like peppercorns on spikes. VISIT Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Appster Smartphone fun and smarter work PeakVisor Free Apple, Andriod From the high alpine summits of Switzerland to the remote regions of Alaska, PeakVisor covers all the major and minor mountain ranges across the globe. More peaks and ranges are being added every day, making it even easier to teleport to your favorite places around the world. TECH RETAILERS contact afarrugia@ mediatoday.com.mt A GOOD WEEK FOR Good Week/Bad Week Don't miss this A BAD WEEK FOR A Midsummer Night's Dream Date: 24-31 July Location: San Anton Gardens Midsummer is the story of a great lost weekend of bridge-burning, car chases, wedding bust-ups, bondage miscalculations, midnight trysts and self-loathing hangovers. Midsummer, a play with songs, is a collaboration between playwright David Greig and singer-songwriter Gordon McIntyre. Produced by the MADC and directed by Chris Gatt, the eagerly anticipated Malta premiere features actors/ musicians Chris Dingli and Paul Portelli and actor/singer Maxine Aquilina - together they bring to life the romantic comedy we've all been waiting for! For art connoisseurs. A drawing of a bear's head by Leonardo da Vinci sold for a record £8.8m at a London auction. Measuring just 7x7cm, Head of a Bear is more than 500 years old. For fans of the director Richard Donner. The Hollywood director whose films included Superman and The Goonies, has died aged 91. He passed away on Monday, his wife, the film producer Lauren Shuler Donner, told Deadline. The bear study will be sold at Christie's in London His first major break came with 1976's The Omen Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member