Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491153
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 851. Bonaparte's Gull NOT the French emperor's personal pet, but there IS a connection, as this bird was named after naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon's. Bonaparte's gull (M. gawwija Amerikana) is the newest addition to the birds of Malta, spotted for the very first time a few weeks ago at Salina nature reserve. It's very similar to the black-headed gull (covered a fortnight ago), down to the dark summer 'balaclava'. The best way to tell them apart is by the legs, which in Bonaparte's are pale pink, not red. So why is it so rare? Well, because it hails from North America (hence its Maltese name) and doesn't venture much from that continent. Incidentally, today marks 17 years exactly since I began this column way back on 29 Jan 2006, so it's nice of old Boney to turn up and make the anniversary a special one! Development plans for Comino rejected by the public Seven non-governmental organizations, including FoE Malta, have objected to the Environment and Resources Authority's decision to approve the Hili Group's plans for Comino and called on the public to speak out against it. By January 23, more than 13,500 had been registered with the Planning Authority signing the objection. In doing so, the pub- lic made their voices heard and sent a clear signal against the conversion measures. Hili Group plans to demolish the existing Comino Hotel in San Niklaw Bay and the existing bungalows in Santa Marija Bay and re- place them with a much larger complex of 19 villas with a grocery store and other amenities. Further, they claim that their proposed complex will be "sustainable," but in reality "sustainable" for Comino would mean no development at all. Development would be inconsistent with the fact that the entire island of Comino is designated as a Rural Conservation Area, a Nature Reserve, a Special Protection Area, an Important Bird Ar- ea of International and EU Importance, a Natura 2000 site, a Bird Sanc- tuary, and a Dark Skies Conservation Area. This case is a great example of how the public can make its voice heard by reminding the Planning Board that its duty is not to developers and big business, but to the com- mon good. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 739: Help us with the restoration of the Old Bakery in Comino and support us https://foemalta.org/supportus 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 ZfinDays 2023 Until 18-19 February & 25-26 February Place: University of Malta (Valletta Campus) 1 double bill, 2 full length works, over two weekends. ŻfinDays is ŻfinMalta's annual programme of works by choreographers who are currently in the spotlight on the international choreographic scene. Double bill: OKOKOK, Marco D'Agostin & Nuova Figura, Paolo Mangiola, 17 & 24 February Full length: Girls & Boys, Roy Assaf, 18-19 February & Weaving Chaos, Tânia Carvalho, 25-26 February Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member ŻZfinMalta Open Rehearsals 28 January, 3, 9 Febuary Place: ZfinMalta - National Dance Company Our new Open Rehearsals take audiences behind the scenes of ŻfinMalta's productions during the creation process. This is a rare opportunity to preview the work before opening night and experience the process of what goes into making a dance production for stage. See Paolo Mangiola and the dancers at work and meet the many artistic collaborators who bring a work to life. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the field at this year's Academy Awards, with 11 nominations. The madcap adventure follows a woman, played by Michelle Yeoh, who hops through the multiverses as different versions of herself. Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify says it will cut 6% of its about 10,000 employees, citing a need to improve efficiency. "In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth," boss Daniel Ek wrote on the company's blog. The acting nominees include Cate Blanchett, Brendan Fraser and Britain's Andrea Riseborough and Bill Nighy. Spotify has never posted a full-year net profit, despite its popularity in the online music market.