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.

Majestic Sunset - Storks fly over Malta

More than 300 storks fly over Malta - Photo taken at Chadwick Lakes by Jeanette Borg

Yesterday's sunset was surely one of the best I've ever witnessed here in Malta. It's common to see such large flocks of birds in countries like Holland and Norway but in Malta such events are rarer. While driving across the Mdina Bypass, I spotted a huge black cloud coming closer. I kept on driving and realised that a flock of birds were flying quite fast and it would have been tricky to follow them. When I turned left towards Chadwick lakes the birds got so close that I jumped out of the car and started taking photos with my phone. They mush have been flying no more than 150 meters above my head. The guy that was driving behind me had to wait until I was done with the photos :) It was only till I contacted my expert bird ID friends that I confirmed these were White Storks. Ciconia species do not breed in Malta and their sitings are considered to be rare by keen Maltese birdwatchers. Their association with fidelity and fertility may have led to the popular image we often see...that is of storks delivering babies!

Amazing to see so many beauties flying so close - Photo taken at Chadwick Lakes by Jeanette Borg