The Kingfisher in Malta

The Kingfisher at rest

This morning has been particularly exciting to one of our expert birders, Chris Cachia Zammit. He managed to capture this beautiful bird while resting. He told us that the Kingfisher is one of the few colourful birds that come to Malta. In spite it's colourful plumage, the bird is quite difficult to spot, but from time you get a glimpse of the bird flying. If your lucky, you might spot the Kingfisher fishing or resting on a pole. These birds migrate to Malta in August and some of them spend the winter time in the Maltese Islands. The scientific name for this species is Alcedo atthis and its Maltese name is Ghasfur ta’ San Martin.


For more information about bird-watching tours, visit our website www.merillecotours.com or send us an email on info@merillecotours.com.

Malta - The land of plenty

Cabbages

Pumpkins

Melons

Prickly Pears 

The farmer and myself

This morning Christian and I met a farmer who took us around his family run estate of 4.5 hectares. The farmer explained that before his family settled there, all the land had been abandoned and all the rubble walls and paths were derelict.  It took this family decades to turn this estate into fertile land, where crops grow all year round. Strawberries, cucumbers and garlic have been planted while the season of summer fruits such as melons and watermelons will soon be over.

While going through the fields, I asked the farmer about challenges they face and future prospects of such an enterprise. He explained that the prices offered for produce at the Pitkali market are often too low to cover costs of inputs and intensive labour. However since the Farmer's Market in Ta' Qali opened, they can sell the produce directly to consumers thus keeping prices reasonable. The Farmer's market is also challenging in itself. All his family are engaged in harvesting, grading and selling fresh produce, thus offering the very best every Tuesdays and Saturdays. One of the things we can all do to support local farmers is to buy their produce. Apart from producing fresh fruits and vegetables, they maintain the landscape and conserve agricultural biodiversity. 

As Merill Eco Tours we're doing our best to help farmers by promoting their produce and offering ecotourism opportunites. For more information about agri-tourism experiences, visit our website www.merillecotours.com 

Oh what a weekend in sunny Malta!

Storm Petrels [Photo by Chris Cachia Zammit]

Out with the boat [Photo by Christian Borg]

Band club playing in Mosta [Photo by Daniel Paul Jones]

Ready to be harvested [Photo by Christian Borg]

Summer is at its best! Sunny in the morning and cool in the evening, eight local village festas, grapes being harvested, and lovely beaches to enjoy...welcome to Malta. Some avid birdwatchers were busy capturing Storm Petrels in flight while farmers are proudly harvesting the fruits they worked for throughout the year. The sea was perfect for a swim. Hundreds of boats enjoyed the calm sea while thousands of bathers hit the shores to cool off. Another great weekend has come to an end and tomorrow Malta celebrates the Feast of The Assumption of Our Lady...a religious feast with strong cultural and traditional roots to the Maltese people.

The Common Kestrel

Common Kestrel

Common Kestrels are usually spotted in Malta during the migration season. Mostly frequent during mid-august till mid-october, and peak between mid-September till the beginning of October. These birds normally prey and feed on insects, small mammals and birds. Their mode of hunting is interesting. They hover over an area where the prey is located, they concentrate on the prey and dive in to capture the less fortunate creature. This practice can be observed even here in Malta during migration. It's common for such a species to spend time in areas such as Buskett, where they can hunt and recover their strength to continue the migration towards Africa.  

Photo and write up by Christopher Cachia Zammit

For more information about Bird Watching Tours, visit our website or email us on info@merillecotours.com