Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1476201
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 AUGUST 2022 11 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 827. Squacco Heron THE squacco heron (M. agrett isfar) is a long-legged, long-necked and long-billed animal. All these features come in handy to spear frogs, fish, etc. from shallow lakes and riversides. Squacco herons are migratory and they are seen regularly in spring and autumn. They are not hard to identify in flight, with brown back, brilliant white wings and that rather languid flight typical of herons. They like to travel in groups, and a flock of them flashing their pale plumage in the sunlight as they sail overhead can be quite a spectacle. Like other herons, squaccos haunt watery places in search of their aquatic prey, so places like Għadira, Is-Simar and Salina nature reserves are good places to watch out for them. A few flocks have indeed already been turning up in recent weeks. Climate Justice Petition Friends of the Earth Malta is collecting signatures for an EU-wide cli- mate justice petition. We are facing one of the most turbulent decades in modern times. All signals tell us that the existing order is a long-term threat to humankind and the environment. To ensure a future for every- one, the moment to call for systemic change and climate justice is now. The Conference of the Parties (COP 27) will take place in Egypt in No- vember 2022 and represents a tipping point for leaders of all countries to tackle the climate crises and lay the ground for global justice. We must make our voices heard! Climate change is the here and now of 20 million people forced to leave their homes every year. Our current economic system, heavily based on fossil fuels and extractivist modes of produc- tion, is at the root of this environmental collapse and at the centre of present and future conflicts. In this interconnected world, we have the power to be part of change. Your signature is indispensable to make cli- mate justice resounding at the COP27. Let our voice be heard, let us show the future we want for our planet and for the people- a thriving future for everyone. All this can start with your signature, be the #Cli- mateOfChange! Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 715: You can sign the petition here: https://chng.it/pTHctDq5P2 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 Don't miss this ARRIVAL – UK's Top ABBA Tribute Band 26 August - 27 August Place: Hilton Malta, Saint Julian's ABBA Arrival, the number 1 international multi award-winning ABBA tribute show will be in Malta for two concerts at the Hilton Conference Centre in Saint Julian's on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th of August 2022. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member The Name's Bond… 26 August Place: Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta License to Kill, Gold Finger, Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again and Bond Theme are some of the theme songs that the Malta Concert Orchestra under the direction of Mro Joe Brown together with local lead singers will be giving us "Thunderball" evening. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Beyoncé has earned her fourth UK number one album with Renaissance, a heartfelt love letter to house and dance music. The album outsold its nearest competition by three-to-one to reach the summit, said the Official Charts. Author-illustrator Raymond Briggs, best-known for his 1978 classic The Snowman, has died at the age of 88. The Snowman was turned into a Bafta TV award-winning animated TV film in 1982. The album has also topped the charts in Australia, Ireland and France, and is predicted to have the biggest opening week of the year in the US. It has gone on to sell more than 5.5m copies in various formats around the world.