Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515076
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JANUARY 2024 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 903. Common Coot SEVERAL birds carry the adjective "common", but this doesn't al- ways mean they're actually common. This is certainly the case with the common coot in Malta. Coots are regular annual visitors in au- tumn and winter, but they are not at all common. The main reason is we don't have the habitat they like most, i.e. lakes. The best we have are at BirdLife's wetland reserves at Għadira, Is-Simar and Salina. Here the common coot (M. tiġieġa tal-baħar) is relatively safe, and happily dives for aquatic vegetation – indeed coots have also occa- sionally nested at Is-Simar. So if you have a couple of hours to kill on a Sunday, pop down to Is-Simar for a look, you'll very probably spot this black bird with the very prominent white beak bobbing about on the water. If you have binoculars, take them along. Entrance is free, by the way. Environmental Education for Teachers & Youth Work- ers Gain new skills in Environmental Education with a particular focus on informal learning tools. This workshop will empower those working with youths through a specially developed training course. You will learn hands-on activities tailored to engage and educate young individuals and tools for personal and professional development. Environmental Education for Teachers & Youth Workers Workshop 1: Eco Tourism, Social Agriculture, Urban Green Care Saturday 27th January, 10:00 – 12:30 Friends of the Earth Malta, Floriana Workshop 2: Energy Supply, Waste Reduction, Green Entrepreneur- ship Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 780: Register here www.foemalta.org/event/youtheco-capaci- ty-building-event/ 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 Romantic Classics II On 24 February Place: Mediterranean Conference Centre An MPO Prodcution featuring Bernice Sammut Attard, a home grown talent. Conductor: Anu Tali Conductor Featuring: Bernice Sammut Attard Piano Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member My Name is Rachel Corrie From 1 to 4 Febuary Place: Splendid 23-year old Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza in 2003 while protecting Palestinian homes from demolition. Taken from the activist's own journals and emails, this one-woman show tells an impassioned, moving, true story of what drove a young activist to leave her comfortable life and embark on a journey that would end with her sudden death defending the rights of people a world away. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK A painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, that was believed lost for 100 years, has been found in Vienna. Portrait of Fraulein Lieser once belonged to a Jewish family in Austria and was last seen in public in 1925. Actor Ryan Gosling has said he is "disappointed" that Barbie's Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were snubbed in major Oscar nomination categories. Gosling said he was "honoured" to be nominated for best supporting actor for "portraying a plastic doll named Ken Its fate after that is unclear but the family of the current owners have had the painting since the 1960s. "But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie."