Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515804
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 FEBRUARY 2024 5 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 905. Northern shoveler WHEN biology students study adaptations, bird beaks often come up, and for a good reason. A beak is the bird's hand, tool, weapon and cutlery set. The beak (or bill) is so well adapted to a particular food that from its shape you can often guess what the bird eats. A duck uses its flat beak to browse and pull up underwater vegetation from shallow lake habitat, and the most bizarre beak of the duck family is surely the shoveler's. That extra-large, extra-flat appendage may look grotesque but it serves its purpose well, and adds to the fascination of this exceedingly handsome bird. The shoveler (M. palettuna) is one of our scarcer ducks, showing up – often singly or in pairs – in wetlands like Għadira, Salina or Is-Simar nature reserves through- out winter. FoE Malta shows solidarity with Maltese farmers' protest Friends of the Earth Malta shows its solidarity with the farmers who are protesting en masse and making their way towards Valletta. As an organisation which champions social justice and environmental values, we are showing our full solidarity with farmers protest in Malta and other EU countries. We hear the frustrations of farmers who grapple with low incomes, a lack of prospects, and consequences of decades of unsustainable poli- cies, coupled with the prohibitive costs of the ever shrinking agricultur- al land in Malta. We share their fight for a fairer agriculture system and their call for abolishing the EU-Mercosur trade deal. The anger of many farmers is legitimate. But after years of it being ignored by political leaders, it is now dangerously being exploited by populist parties and agro-industrial lobbies trying to shatter green ob- jectives and commitments. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti (Photo) www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 781: Read more on: https://foemalta.org/press-releases/mal- tese_farmers_protest/ 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 Aladdin On 9 March Place: St Agatha's Auditorium SPMC are proud to present their much awaited production of Aladdin! Join SPMC to discover the story of a charismatic young boy who instantly falls in love with the law-defying Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah. While trapped in a magical cave, Aladdin stumbles upon a magical lamp that unleashes a wish-granting, larger-than-life, hilarious Genie. As Aladdin and the Genie start to become friends, they embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine's kingdom. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member The SPMO clarinet & strings quartet On 1 March Place: Mediterranean Conference Centre Programme includes Habanera from Bizet's Carmen, Faure's Apres un reve, Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy, Oblivion and Libertango by Astor Piazzola amongst others. Sarah Spiteri - Violin, Antoine Frendo - Viola, Simon Abdilla Joslin - Violoncello & Noel Beck - Clarinet. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Moana is sailing back to cinemas after Disney's surprise announcement that a film sequel will be released this year. The story of an adventurous Polynesian girl who sets sail on a mission to save her people was a hit in 2016. The Dad's Army actor Ian Lavender, who played Private Pike in the hit TV series, has died at the age of 77. Birmingham-born Lavender was just 22 when he was cast as the guileless platoon member, in what was then a new BBC sitcom. A sequel was mooted as a Disney+ series, but the company will now take it to cinemas instead after a string of underwhelming big screen performances. Lavender, who died on Friday, was the last surviving main cast member of the series.