Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/975483
maltatoday SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018 39 This Week The collared flycatcher (M. żanżarell tal-kullar) is a small active bird that visits at this time of year and rests for a day or two before resuming its journey north to mainland Europe. It is one of five species of flycatcher that occur in Malta. Flycatchers are very aptly named, as they seem to spend most of the day catching flies and doing little else. Their characteristic method of catching prey is to perch on an outer twig of a shrub or tree, from where they dart out to snap flies and mosquitoes in mid-air and promptly return to their perch, where they quickly gobble their snack and wait for the next flying morsel to come within striking range. The collared flycatcher is relatively common and loves woodland and large gardens. So if you see movement in a tree and you spot this strikingly black-and-white character, you have met your collared flycatcher – or its close relative, the very similar pied flycatcher (M. żanżarell iswed). Without beekeepers the bee population will continue to dwindle. In his book 'The Bee- Master of Warrilow', Tickner Edwardes (1907) states that "they call us bee-masters, but bee servants would be a better word; we must study to find out what the bees intend to do, and then help them to do it". We believe keeping bee hives and supporting local apiculture is vital to protect this species, our environment and our food production. Through our work we also support and promote a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle; we are organising a number of vegan cooking workshops for example. We do not wish to alienate anyone through our campaigns, instead we believe we need to work together towards better protection of our environment. We hope that through continued dialogue we can better understand each other's viewpoints, so that we can work towards a common goal. If you would like to express your interest in a future beekeeping course, you can sign up here. Should you wish to support our work to protect and promote the local bee population, you can sponsor a bee hive in our apiary. In return you will receive a BeeCause kit, updates from the hive, and a jar of honey, subject to a successful harvest, and only if you wish to receive one. 607. COLLARED FLYCATCHER 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 510: : Find out more: www.foemalta.org/beecause Text and photo Victor Falzon The Buzz about bees (continued)) National Book Council celebrates World Book Day Airport Impressions break a two- year hiatus with new single ON the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, the National Book Council (NBC) has donated a large number of prize-winning books to Malta Libraries. All the donated books were winners in different categories of the National Book Prize 2017, includ- ing novels, poetry books, collections of short stories, translated works and re- search literature. Today (April 29) the NBC, in collabo- ration with Cospicua Local Council, will set up the Cospicua Book Festival for Children, an initiative that is meant to celebrate children and literature. A programme of cultural events has been prepared with plenty of fun activities for children and their families. Guest authors who will be reading to children and engaging them in activities include Clare Azz- opardi and John A. Bonello. The National Book Council hopes that these pub- lic events and donations will have the desired ef- fect of kindling a passion for books and literature in young readers. The NBC reiterated its belief that World Book Day should serve as a reminder of the role books and literacy have played in the intellec- tual development of societies around the world. It is also a reminder of the importance of respecting authors' and publishers' rights, which is a concern that ranks high on the priority list of the NBC. LOCAL pop-rock outfit Airport Impressions have released their first new single after a two-year hiatus. The comeback song for the band, 'IVY', will be followed by further releases in the coming months and will lead to the band's own summer concert, marking the 10th year anniversary of Airport Im- pressions. More details on this event will be avail- able to the media in the coming weeks. Airport Impressions are constantly exploring new sounds, as is evident in this new release blending the band's melodic feel with contemporary sounds. The band sees this song as an ode to people who are able to turn their blues into brighter colours – like the titular Ivy – and find it in themselves to turn a page after darker patches. The song and lyrics were written by Johann Schembri and Errol Sammut, and co-produced with Dann Pursey, who also mixed and mastered at Sunnyridge Studios UK. The music video for this single release is underway and will be released soon. The single is published is available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon and all leading digital platforms.