Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/895147
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2017 News 6 PAUL COCKS THE turtle dove, known locally as il-gamiema, has always been associated with migration in Malta and Gozo, with its bian- nual passage in spring and au- tumn documented in various literature over the years. This beautiful bird is facing serious threats and its numbers have plummeted by 80% in the past 30 years. With habitat loss from industry, development and agriculture along with hunting, there is the serious need for a Europe-wide effort to save this endangered species. In June 2015 the IUCN ac- knowledged the decline of the species placing the bird on the Red List and forcing the gov- ernment to enact a moratorium on spring hunting. This immediately triggered the opportunity to study these birds further. So far, thanks to the bird ringing scheme, it was common knowledge that the birds passing over Malta were mainly arriving from Italy and eastern Europe. It was time to know more and BirdLife Malta embarked on a new project in which turtle doves were tagged with sat- ellite tags. These high-tech trackers weigh only 5g and do not harm the birds in any way. They transmit hits through the satellite system giving the ac- curate location of the birds. The aim is to understand where the birds are wintering in Africa, how long the migra- tion takes, and which are the important stopover sites for resting and refueling. More im- portantly, it enables us to know more about the impact of hunt- ing on these birds, especially where the birds killed in Malta are originating from. BirdLIfe said it had so far at- tached five tags and the data collected was already show- ing amazing migratory jour- neys. The first turtle dove was tagged at Simar Nature Re- serve in April 2016. The bird migrated to the south of Italy where it probably bred. And then in late August it started its migration south to Africa. It ended up wintering in Nigeria. When spring arrived, the bird made its return to the exact same area, completing another breeding cycle. Unfortunately BirdLife lost track of the bird this summer. April 2017's moratorium on spring hunting offered a bet- ter opportunity to better study these birds. Another four tur- tle doves were tagged in spring this year and and their journey followed. One bird was unfor- tunately lost after a few days over Go- zo while the other three con- tinued on. One ended up in Italy, another in Slo- vakia and another on the border between Bulgaria and Romania. Two of these birds are transmiting up to this very day – one from Burkina Faso and another one from Cameroon. BirdLife Malta has always used scientific research and facts to base its advocacy and lobbying strate- gies and firmly believes this will help it to join European- wide conservation efforts to save the turtle dove across the continent. Sealed of fers will be received by the Ministr y for Energy and Water Management up to 12.00 p.m. on 22nd Januar y 2018, for: MEW/ITB1/2017 - INVITATION TO BID (ITB) FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ELECTRICIT Y FROM SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS WITH CAPACIT Y OF 1000KWP OR MORE The total capacit y of fered is 15MW. The bid document s and all related files may be obtained free of charge from: Corporate Ser vices Directorate Ministr y for Energy and Water Management 52, Old Theatre Street Vallet ta The Ministr y for Energy and Water Management reser ves the right to refuse even the most advantageous of fer. The Ministry for Energy and Water Management notifies that: MINISTRY FOR ENERGY AND WATER MANAGEMENT BirdLife Malta embarks on ambitious turtle dove satellite tagging project KURT SANSONE MALTA'S Democratic Party will join the liberal political grouping in Europe as the f ledgling party tries to assert its identity. The move comes well in advance of the next Euro- pean Parliament election to be held in 2019 when the PD is expected to contest on its own steam. The party, who elected An- thony Buttigieg as its leader this week, instead of MP Mar- lene Farrugia, said it would formally become a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) at the grouping's conference in Amsterdam on 1 December. The PD will be joining the fourth largest political group- ing in the European Parlia- ment. ALDE has 66 MEPs in the 751-seat assembly and has often held the balance of power between the two larg- est grouping – the European People's Party and the Social- ists and Democrats. Buttigieg yesterday led a delegation that included PD's two MPs, Marlene Far- rugia and Godfrey Farrugia, in a meeting with ALDE vice president Timothy Dooley. PD made history in the last election when it elected two MPs after its candidates contested on the Nationalist Party list as part of the Forza Nazzjonali alliance. The PN is affiliated with the EPP while the Labour Party is a member of the S&D. Al- ternattiva Demokratika is affiliated with the European Green Party. PD to join European liberal democrat party The Democratic Party will formally join the fourth largest political grouping in the European Parliament on 1 December