Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1513813
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 DECEMBER 2023 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 899. Common shelduck ONE of the wild duck species that turn up around our coasts and wetlands – if never in large numbers – is the common shelduck (M. kuluvert tas-salib). It is a large and striking beauty: sparkling white with dark stripes on wing and breast, a dark metallic green head and a red bill. Many species of wild duck often rest on the sea while on migration, but shelducks are birds of shallow waters, especially lakes. They are dabbling ducks, feeding by up-ending and stretching their neck down to crop vegetation from the shallow bed. We have next to no lakes here in Malta but a few shelduck sometimes fly in for a snack and a rest at wetlands like Għadira, Is-Simar and Salina nature reserves. Unlike most other wild duck species, shelducks are protected by law. Happy New Year. Podcast about community energy Our Climate Campaign Coordinator, Suzanne Maas, recently had a discussion with Ganado Advocates on their podcast 'Ganado Meets Green Finance.' The episode delved into the topic of renewable energy communities. Community energy represents one of the solutions for a just transition and the democratization of energy. It goes beyond sim- ply having a clean, renewable energy source; it also involves educating people about energy use, the energy system, and reducing overall ener- gy demand. Suzanne also shares insights into FoE Malta's work, with a focus on our climate campaign and energy situation in Malta. Listen now on… ganado.com/ganado-meets/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3M73qPA Google: https://bit.ly/3RYwFrs Apple: https://bit.ly/3QkTbcP Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti (photo) www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 778: Listen now on… ganado.com/ganado-meets/ 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 Music in the Silent City On 12 January Place: St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina The Anici Band & Social Club in collaboration with the Mdina Metropolitan Chapter & in aid of Malta Trust Foundation present a night of music in Malta's iconic silent city. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Bach Well - Tempered Clavier - Book 1 On 18 January Place: San Anton Palace Bach's Well-tempered Clavier is considered a fundamental piece in the keyboard repertoire. Composed throughout Bach's lifetime, the two books each consist of twenty four preludes and fugues. This version will be performed on modern piano. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Olivia Rodrigo has broken the second album curse - with critics naming her messy, intimate, coming-of-age record Guts the best new release of 2023. Packed with punk-pop anthems and barbed ballads, the album topped a "poll of polls" compiled by BBC News. South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the Oscar- winning film Parasite, has been found dead in an apparent suicide in central Seoul. Police found the body of the actor, who was 48, in a car near a city park on Wednesday. They believe Lee took his own life, Yonhap news agency reports. "It's such a cathartic experience to sing songs like that in a crowd." Police said earlier they had received a report that he had left his home after writing a note.