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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 40 This Week All 10,000 species of birds are marvels of evolution. Many are also spectacular to look at, with striking colours and bizarre feather embellishments. Others are more demure, opting for a lifestyle of merging with their surroundings. In this second, less showy category fall most European warblers, small birds with a muted colour palette of browns, greens and greys, with maybe a highlight here and there. Birdwatchers affectionately call these birds LBJs (little brown jobs) and about 40 species have occurred in Malta, ranging from common year-round residents to the extremely rare. Among the regular – if not too common – spring and autumn visitors is the sedge warbler (M: bufula tas-simar). Its habitat is wetlands with thick shrubbery where to forage for insects while hidden from view, so your best chance of spotting this LBJ is when it calls or sings (the latter mostly in spring, though). A good look at the bird through binoculars will show up the sedge warbler's lovely black and white eyestripe, probably its pièce de résistance. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 425: PLANT A TREE: IT'S GOOD FOR THE AIR, THE LAND, CAN SHADE YOUR HOUSE AND SAVE ON COOLING. MAKE IT MEANINGFUL FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY AND PLANT A TREE EVERY YEAR FOR EACH MEMBER. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti 522. SEDGE WARBLER Debut authors dominate National Book Prize shortlist THE National Book Council has an- nounced that the Independent Ad- judication Board has selected and communicated the shortlisted final- ists for the National Book Prize and the Terramaxka Prize 2016. The shortlist can be seen below, and all the selected books will be available to purchase from this year's edition of the Malta Book Festival, taking place between November 9 and 13 at the Mediterranean Confer- ence Centre, Valletta. As a welcome surprise for this year, quite a large number of new authors appear in the shortlist, from which we can infer a heightened interest in the contest on the part of the local community of writers and publish- ers. We are very pleased with this as it reflects very postively on our work to intensify both readership and liter- ary production in the local market. National Book Prize 2016 – the shortlist Novels in Maltese and English Vandalism by Lizzie Eldridge (Mer- lin Publishers) Iż-żejt f'qiegħ l-ilma by Martin Bugelli (Kite Group) Jien, bħalek. Differenti. by Lorraine Galea (Horizons) Esklussiva Dotcom by Gabriel Schembri (Klabb Kotba Maltin) Trojan by Alex Vella Gera (Klabb Kotba Maltin) Short-Stories in Maltese and English Vespri by Trevor Zahra (Merlin Publishers) Mhux Bilfors Hekk ... by Alex Mizzi (Klabb Kotba Maltin) Poetry in Maltese and English Bla qiegħ: poeżija mit-trab 2010- 2013 by Joe P. Galea (Horizons) Klin u kapriċċi oħra by Adrian Gri- ma (Klabb Kotba Maltin) South of the Kasbah by Norbert Bugeja (Midsea Books Ltd.) Barefoot in the Saltpans – Poetry Mediterranean by Daniel Massa (Al- lied Publications) Kantuniera 'l bogħod by Nadia Mifsud (Skarta) Translation L-Iljieli Għarbin by Edmund Teu- ma (BDL) Oscar u s-sinjura roża by Claudine Borg (Faraxa Publishing) Sharon u l-kunjata – Djarji minn Ramallah by Jean Paul Borg (SKS) Il-Kappillan ta' Tours by Paul Zah- ra (Paul Zahra) Il-Pesta tal-1676 by Joseph F. Gri- ma (BDL) Historiographic Research Slavery – Malta at the Crossroads: Transhipment of Slaves in a British Colony during the Nineteenth Cen- tury by Michael Refalo (BDL) Judge Robert Ganado: A history of the Government Departments from 1815 and lawyers from 1666 by Al- bert Ganado (BDL) Caravaggio to Mattia Preti: Ba- roque Painting in Malta by Keith Sciberras (Midsea Books Ltd.) The People of the North 1546-1610 by Paul Catania (Midsea Books Ltd.) The Battle of Lepanto: 7 October 1571 - An Unpublished Hospital- ler Account by Paul George Pisani (Salesians of Don Bosco) Giuseppe Donati and Um- berto Calosso: two Italian anti-fascist refugees in Mal- ta by Giorgio Peresso (SKS) History of Ornithology in Malta by Joe Sultana and John J. Borg (Birdlife Malta) General Research Wild Flowers of the Maltese Is- lands by Edwin Lanfranco and Gui- do Bonett (BDL) Antonio Sciortino: the Lost Album by Gerald Bugeja (Kite Group) Patroloġija: L-Ewwel Volum by Alessandru Bonnici and Salvinu Caruana (ĊAK) Rivelazzjoni u Profetiżmu fl-Islam by Edmund Teuma (ĊAK) The Maltese Islands and the Sea by Timmy Gambin (ed.) (Midsea Books Ltd.) Qiegħda fil-Ponta ta' Lsieni 2 by Ġużi Gatt (Klabb Kotba Maltin) Population ageing in Malta: Multi- disciplinary Perspectives b y Marvin Formosa and Charles Scerri (Malta University Press) Aspetti tat-Traduzzjoni Maltija: it- Transfer Kreattiv fit-Traduzzjoni bil- Malti by Charles Briffa (Horizons) Terramaxka Book Prize 2016 Original Works: Books for Chil- dren (Ages 0-7) Mingu by Clare Azzopardi (Merlin Publishers) Żuża, iż-żebra l-kurjuża by Mark Zammit (Klabb Kotba Maltin) In-Naffar li xtaq itir / The Scare- crow who wanted to fly by Rita Saliba (Horizons) Original Works: Books for Children (Ages 8-12) Irvin Vella – Investigatur Virtwali: Il-Każ Manduca by John A. Bonello (Merlin Publishers) Il-Professur Għasfur by Ġorġ Mal- lia (Merlin Publishers) L-Avventuri ta' Tipi by Joan Alison Farrugia (BDL) L-Għorfa f'tarf l-irdum by Victor Fenech (Horizons) Original Works: Books for Adolescents (Ages 13-16) Wiċċ imb wiċċ mal-verità by Car- mel G. Cauchi (BDL) Djamantini by Kulleġġ Santa Klara, Sekondarja Pembroke (Kulleġġ Santa Klara, Sekondarja Pembroke) Esperjenza Unika, Love by Jacque- line Mizzi (Horizons) Translation: Books for Children (Ages 0-7) X'Qed Tara? by Rachel Portelli (Merlin Publishers) Bertu l-bebbuxu supereroj by Clare Azzopardi (Merlin Publishers) Ġakki l-Pirata by Clare Azzopardi (Merlin Publishers) Kamilla tixtieq familja ġdida by Clare Azzopardi (Merlin Publishers) Lupu Lupettu ma jridx jimxi aktar by Clare Azzopardi (Merlin Publish- ers) Vjoletta by Loranne Vella (Merlin Publishers) Translation: Books for Children (Ages 8-12) Il-Leġġenda ta' San Ġorġ u d-Dra- gun by Pierre J. Mejlak (Merlin Pub- lishers) EU's Land Footprint - Overconsumption of limited land resources Why does the EU have such a large Land Footprint and why is this a concern? High consumption of animal products makes a considerable contribution; 73% of the EU Land Footprint is related to the con- sumption of animal products, with the largest portions for meat (30% of the to- tal) and dairy (25% of the total, mostly cheese). The second biggest grouping is vegetable oils, followed by other plant-based products; wheat; fruit, vegeta- bles and spices; alco- hol; and coffee, tea and cacao. Alex Vella Gera's Trojan is among the shortlisted novels up for the National Book Prize