Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/987221
11 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MAY 2018 Many species of shorebirds (or waders) have been record- ed in Malta, some regular and common, some heart-stop- pingly rare and one or two that actually nest. My hands- down favourite is the avocet, a black-and-white beauty with long pale pastel blue legs. But no doubt its most ar- resting feature is the beak: long, thin, black and bent up- wards. Now what use could that strange appendage be? Well, there was one of these scarce passage migrants at Għadira and Salina nature reserves this past week, and vis- itors watching it feed soon solved the beak mystery. What the avocet does is walk into the water swishing its beak from side to side just under the surface, and any small fish or invertebrate that gets within range of that swipe gets snapped up and gobbled. Just the tool for the job, it's sur- prising why other waders didn't think of this as well! Inci- dentally, this unique feature explains the avocet's Maltese name xifa, which is an awl with a bend exactly like that fabulous beak. 611. AVOCET 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 514: www.foemalta.org/vacancies/1803/ Text and photo Victor Falzon Kaiser Chiefs for Rock'N Malta ROCK'N Malta is proud to announce some of the con- certs in this year's series. The first gig will take place on 30 July and will be head- lined by Gogol Bordello, the globally successful band from Manhattan whose concoction of gypsy, Latin folk, and punk rock is presented with hu- mour, activism and theatre. It promises to be an excep- tionally colourful night. The Maltese band Brodu will be opening the proceeding. Julian Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, together with his band The Upsiders is another star addition to the 2018 line-up. A Grammy award nominated, roots-reg- gae musician, singer-song- writer, producer and human- itarian, Julian 'Ju Ju' Marley continues in the same tradi- tion as his father. Singing his own and his father's songs, his gig on 18 August will be another milestone for Rock'N Malta. Local band ManaTapu will open the concert with their infusion of reggae, ska, folk and rock music. On August 24, Rock'N Mal- ta goes very heavy metal. This gig will be headlined by Dark Tranquillity, the pioneering Swedish melodic metal band mainly responsible for creat- ing the Gothenburg sound. Loosely within the same metal genre, although more progressive, is the second headlining act – Evergrey. With 11 bone-crunching al- bums under their belt, they promise to take metal heads to heaven. The Maltese band Colourblind will be opening the show. August 30 will see legendary British indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs play Malta for the very first time. Inspired by the new wave and punk rock music of the late 1970s and 1980s , Kaiser Chiefs have constantly hit the Top 10 single and al- bum charts single millions of records ever since their formation in the year 2000. Opening the concert will be local punk indie trio, Bila. More concerts in the Rock'N Malta series are planned to be announced shortly. Ticket information and purchase is available from the Rock'N Malta page on Facebook. Rock'N Malta falls under the auspices of the newly created Festivals Malta. Its Direc- tor, Annabelle Stivala, added: "It is truly rewarding to see the budding Festivals Malta brand being consolidated in such a formidable way by this year's Rock'N Malta line-up. I am proud that Festivals Malta is taking such major strides forward to cater for such a diverse range of musical tastes – from classical music to rock, from world music to jazz and beyond. Owen Bonnici, Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, commented: "Our strategy is to continue investing and supporting all dimensions of the cultural sector and we do so with a sense of purpose and pride, as we strongly believe that this investment brings about unparalleled social change & economic activity. Rock'N Malta is a clear example of how with the right resources and investment niche sectors can become strong and thriv- ing players in the local cul- tural scene." Tickets will be on sale from Wednesday 23rd May 2018 from www.showshappening.com