Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/490723
XV maltatoday, Sunday, 5 april 2015 This Week We looked at the Turtle Dove (M: Gamiema) not too long ago but in this last Notebook entry before the referendum I wanted to share a special photograph: a turtle dove sitting on its nest. They're not visible but there are two feisty chicks underneath that bird, chicks that were fed and tended by their parents until they fledged and flew off to start a new life and raise families of their own the following spring. Millions of turtle doves nest every year in Europe so what's so special about the photo? Well, it was taken in Malta – Kemmuna actually – in 2010. But how on earth did that pair of turtle doves pull it off in a land that's obsessed in killing them? Mainly because (1) hunters largely boycotted the spring hunting season that year, and (2) Kemmuna is a bird sanctuary. Turtle dove numbers have plummeted in recent years, so basic logic tells you to stop killing them and let them increase again. But Maltese hunters don't do basic logic. What they do is basic joy-killing, and our governments have done their shameless best to let them keep on killing. Well, come next Saturday (11 April) YOU will be deciding whether to let hunters go on killing birds in spring or whether to stop this barbaric waste of life. If you care about all this, please GO and VOTE NO! 448. TURTLE DOVE GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 351: HAVE YOUR SAY – did you know that Malta is the only country in Europe to allow recreational spring hunting? 'Vote nO' on 11 april to 'Stop Spring Hunting' and give birds a chance to breed. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us www.foemalta.org. You can also support us by sending a blank SMS donation on 50618070 (€4.66) or 50619223 (€11.65). Text Victor Falzon Photo Joe Sultana PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK CASHA AND OLIVER DEGABRIELE Going from bad to worse ahead of their performance at rock the South, TEOdOr rElJiC discovers that Bark Bark disco frontman isn't a fan of the hard sell What led you to first form a band, and how has your approach to it changed over time? I had extra songs I wasn't using and then got offered to play a support slot for Bonnie Prince Billy back in 2009, so I formed the band for that concert. How would you say your sound has evolved over the years? It's gone from bad to worse. Cheap love songs written over the same three chords, with ever deteriorating production. What do you make of the local music scene, and what would you say are some of the most significant challenges that local musicians face? I think the scene is good considering our population size. I'm not sure there are any specific challenges since all musicians do it as a hobby. Perhaps the main concern is that there's few venues catering for live bands, how- ever I guess the demand for live bands must be getting lower. What kind of contribution would you say Rock the South makes to the Maltese cultural calendar? It's really great and very inclusive, with loads of bands playing in a relaxed live way, and provides a much-needed live rock and roll, curfew-free stage. What's next for you? Xvideo or XHamster, not sure. maybe even PornHub. Not sure. Really depends on the day. With over 45 live bands, Rock the South will be taking place at Zion, Marsacala on April 9-12. For more information log on to www. rockthesouthmalta.com Ian Schranz: "The demand for live bands is getting lower"