Children enjoy close encounter with wildlife on shearwater boat trip

Yesterday evening young members of BirdLife Malta’s Klabb Ħuttaf took to the sea for a wildlife encounter with one of Malta’s most enigmatic birds, the Scopoli’s Shearwater.

The Scopoli’s Shearwater, known as Ċiefa, is the largest of Malta’s shearwater species. During the breeding season these birds can be seen congregating in large numbers (500-1000 birds) on the sea, behaviour known as “rafting”. As darkness falls they begin to leave the water and fly to their burrows in the cliffs to take the turn in incubating their egg or to feed their growing chicks

Setting out just before sunset, the group watched the shearwaters gather in “rafts” on the sea, as gradually more and more birds congregated before seeing them heading back to their nests in the cliffs after dark.

Klabb Ħuttaf, BirdLife Malta’s nature club for children, aims to engage children with the wildlife around Malta, encouraging a passion for nature conservation. They were joined by guides from BirdLife’s youth group, Falko, who were on board to answer questions and provide information about these incredible birds and the threats they face.

Klabb Ħuttaf leader, Kathleen Mamo, said “Seeing the birds in action is a great way to inspire both children and their parents to help us ensure a safe future for these birds.” 

With 5% of the global population of Scopoli’s Shearwaters breeding in Malta, it is vital that these birds are protected.  Last year, the Malta-Gozo channel became Malta’s first internationally recognised marine Important Bird Area, partly due to the importance of the channel for Malta’s threatened shearwaters.

The Scopoli’s Shearwater, along with the Yelkouan Shearwater (Garnija) and the European Storm Petrel (Kanġu ta’ Filfla), is being studied by the EU Life+ Malta Seabird Project, led by BirdLife Malta. This project is creating an inventory of marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) where these seabirds forage and breed. This work is of great significance due to the threats Malta’s seabirds’ face from development close to the colonies, rat predation, and light pollution.