BirdLife Malta has news: the first Scopoli’s Shearwater chicks have hatched on Fungus Rock, the first in this year’s breeding season.

This small islet hosts a colony of Scopoli’s Shearwaters (known locally as Ċief), providing the perfect habitat for these remarkable seabirds. Known for their haunting, eerie calls that echo through the night, often mistaken for crying babies and startling late-night beachgoers, these birds are a unique part of Malta’s natural heritage.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of BirdLife Malta’s seabird team, the Fungus Rock colony is being closely monitored as part of the LIFE Tetide project. This initiative tracks nests throughout the delicate breeding cycle, ensuring these vulnerable birds receive the protection they need.

However, Fungus Rock’s environment faces threats from invasive species such as rodents, which prey on shearwater eggs and chicks, as well as from the endemic Maltese wall lizard. Through biosecurity measures and continuous observation, BirdLife Malta is working to increase the chances of successful breeding for this species.

You can also play a part in safeguarding these birds by avoiding littering, especially in sensitive natural areas like Dwejra, as well as keeping any nighttime meet ups in the areas as quiet and dark as possible, so as not to disturb the birds.

For more information on the LIFE Tetide project and to follow BirdLife Malta’s conservation efforts, visit https://birdlifemalta.org/.../current-projects/life-tetide/.

Well done to BirdLife Malta’s seabird team for their hard work!