Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/919364
maltatoday SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2017 39 Travel If you have been in the countryside in the past couple of months you will no doubt have heard incessant plaintive calls all over the place. That is the call of the European golden plover (M. pluviera), a plump medium-sized bird of the wader family that loves grasslands and meadows. It's a regular – if not too common – passage bird in Malta, and some try to spend the winter here in open places like around the airport. Wow, so has this been a great year for golden plovers? Sadly no, quite the opposite in fact: those piping calls you heard all come from the hundreds of bird callers that hunters and trappers use to lure the real birds to their destruction. It's the hunters' time- honoured effort of ensuring these birds get scarcer and scarcer, with no quotas, no controls, no nothing. So much for their claims of sustainability. Oh, and by the way it's actually ILLEGAL to use callers for luring birds. BirdLife keeps reporting these banned contraptions to the authorities, but nothing comes of it. Happy Christmas to all. 589. EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER 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 GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 492: Book covers - Newspaper works just as well as shop-bought covers for scrapbook or exercise books. To tell the books apart once they're covered, use a section of the paper that mirrors the subject of the book Tallinn Estonia For many years residents and guests of Tallinn are enchanted by the annual Tallinn Christ- mas Market. It is a true fairy-tale land – there is a tall Christmas tree on the historic town square surrounded by little houses shining with lights that sell Christmas delicacies and folk craft products. Children will be happy to see merry-go-rounds and Santa Claus, the main stage will feature hundreds of singers and dancers performing, and amazing aromas of gin- gerbread and mulled wine will spread all over the square. Each year Tallinn Christmas Market changes a little. This year Christmas lights decorating the square are replaced with new ones. Their warm light makes the market even cozier than before. The Christmas tree this year is especially rich and beautiful, with many new decora- tions: new LED lights as well as red and gold Christmas baubles of different sizes. The stage is decorated with over 600 Christmas stars. Over 40,000 lights lit for the Christmas Market on the Town Hall Square. This is a great way to celebrate 575 years since the first Christmas tree was displayed in Tallinn (and probably in the world, too). Here you can also have a meal and various refreshments. Selection is large: from well-known Christmas dishes, such as sauerkraut and blood sausages, to fish and duck. Hot and heating drinks are offered by many sellers. Santa Claus can be found in his house, where every day children will be able to read him po- ems and ask for Christmas gifts. The best poem readers will receive sweets! Basel Switzerland Basel has a deep-rooted tradition as Switzerland's most beautiful and largest Christmas city, and is well worth a visit every year. Not only the well-preserved Old Town is radiant in the warm Christmas light, but the shops and the facades of many buildings glitter with a golden glow. Roughly a hundred tall pine trees border the streets and stand like brightly lit sentinels point- ing the way for the visitor. Particularly recommended is the Christmas market, which is being held not only on Barfüsserplatz, but also on Münsterplatz – one of the most beautiful squares in Basel. The Basel Christmas Market will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It can be found on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, right in the centre of the city and at the heart of the festively decorated Old Town. A magnificent Christmas tree stands on the Münsterplatz, with ornaments by the well-known decorator Johann Wanner. Over 180 traders and artisans offer their goods for sale in small, rustic wooden chalets. Any- one still looking for gift ideas can seek inspiration in the wide selection and enchanting ambi- ence. Culinary delights also abound with waffles, glühwein, genuine Basel Läckerli (a kind of gingerbread), delicious Swiss raclette or the popular grilled sausages. Text Victor Falzon Photo Raymond Galea