Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516411
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 FEBRUARY 2024 5 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 907. Northern Wheatear THE northern wheatear is a small, smart-looking bird with largely grey and black upperparts, a nifty mask and pale buff underparts. It's a creature of open country so the place to see it is our rocky ar- eas. But you'll only spot a wheatear if it moves, as it blends so well with the fissured rocks. But once it flies it gives itself away, because it flashes its conspicuous black-and-white tail. That tail not only gave the bird its Maltese name kuda (from Italian coda) but also its Eng- lish name: the name wheatear has nothing to do with ears of wheat, it's actually a corruption of white-*rse if you'll excuse the language! Like many millions of birds, wheatears are now migrating north across the Mediterranean to their nesting grounds. The ones we see in Malta will only be resting here a day or two before resuming their perilous trip to mainland Europe. Why a new road to Smart City is a stupid proposal Environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Malta strongly condemns plans for a new road through agricultural land, linking Zabbar to Smart City, which was brought to the attention in an article published by MaltaToday recently ("New proposal for road linking Zabbar to Smart City"). It is incredulous that in a time of simultaneous climate and biodi- versity crises, while farmers are protesting about the loss of agricultural land and food security remains a national challenge, such proposals get to see the daylight. The proposed road is set to take up a massive 80,000 m2 area of land, from Notre Dame Gate in Zabbar, along the Cottonera Lines, passing by the Capuchin Convent in Kalkara, on to Smart City. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti (photo) www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 782: Read more here: https://foemalta.org/press-releases/ road-smart-city/ 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 GUTZ On 8,9 March Place: MCAST Mosta Jack has been sneaking into his old sixth form all year. Why? Because the canteen's sausage rolls are the best, obviously. In those classrooms, Jack fell in love with James… before a big argument split them apart. Why? Because he's wondering why he never had the guts to say what he needed to say in those fucking classrooms. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member ZfinMalta National Dance Company & Alexandra Alden On 15, 16 March Place: National Museum of Archaeology Intimate Żfin is where music meets dance in unexpected spaces. It is an opportunity to see the company's extraordinary dancers up close. Performing live in the space, Alexandra Alden and her band focus on the themes of belonging, home and braving the unknown. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Four of 2023's top 10 best-selling acts came from South Korea, with bands such as Stray Kids and Seventeen outselling stars like Drake and The Weeknd. The international sales figures were compiled by the IFPI, which represents the global music industry. Bad Bunny and Lana Del Rey also made the top 10. A woman who spent 10 years campaigning for dementia awareness has died after writing a moving final blog post. Wendy Mitchell, from Beverley, died at the age of 68, her two daughters confirmed on social media. Eight-piece K-pop group Stray Kids will headline the BST Festival in London's Hyde Park this summer She was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2014 at the age of 58 and set up a blog soon afterwards called Which Me Am I Today?