Did you know that 10 per cent of the world's 'vulnerable' Yelkouan Shearwaters live and nest in Malta?
In June and July, after a long incubation period of around fifty days, the next generation of yelkouan shearwaters arrive! Fluffy chicks squeak “feed me!” while parents take it in turns to go out on feeding trips. They may be gone for several days at a time, collecting fish and squid from as far away as Sicily and Tunisia. On his or her return to the nest, the parent regurgitates the stored food and offers it to the single chick. Yum…a delicious meal of, um, half-digested seafood!
The yelkouan shearwater's breeding season is officially underway in February, when many of the birds have rekindled their love and started mating. Shearwaters mate for life and return to the same burrow each year to lay eggs and raise their chicks. It is an exciting time and even non-breeders gather at the colonies, thus creating a lot of activity.
When the mating is done, the female will spend time away from the colony. In order to produce an egg, she will need nutrient rich food, so she will tend to stay in highly productive marine areas, such as those off the coast of North Africa.
Back at the nest boxes at L-Irdum tal-Madonna, in Mellieha, Malta, the male yelkouan shearwaters wait patiently for their female partners to return to lay their single egg. During the wait, the males will visit the nests and guard them by night. They pass the time ensuring the nests are tidy and ready to receive the egg with the right quantity of nesting material. But the wait makes them anxious and the males will squabble between themselves to solve neighbourly rivalry until the females return.
By March, the female yelkouan shearwaters have laid their single egg. They immediately fly back to sea to feed and regain their strength while the males take the first incubation shift lasting up to eight days. Incubation is shared between the parent birds and, after the female has replenished her energy, she is ready to swap. Sitting on the egg keeps it warm and as dry as possible to ensure the hatching of a chick after fifty days.
So now is about the time when the fledglings begin to be seen. Unfortunately, light pollution causes severe disorientation and Malta is the 17th most light polluted country in the world, so they sometimes get stranded inland. The public is requested to always keep an eye out for fledgling shearwaters that may need help. If you find a stranded fledgling, kindly call BirdLife Malta, who will know what to do to restore the baby bird safely to its natural habitat.
Malta’s seabirds
Yelkouan shearwater
The yelkouan shearwater (MT: garnija) is a medium-sized seabird with long wings which flies with rapid wing beats, sometimes shearing over the waves. Malta’s yelkouan shearwater population of 1,600 to 1,800 pairs constitutes 10% of the global population, however it is in decline due to loss of breeding habitat, illegal hunting, predation by rats, human disturbance, and light and sound pollution. It currently carries a 'vulnerable' status, which indicates that the population is decreasing. From February to July, during breeding season, you can spot yelkouan shearwaters resting at sea alone or in small rafts.
Scopoli’s shearwater
A little larger than the yelkouan shearwater, scopoli’s shearwater (MT: ciefa) population is estimated at around 4,500 pairs and is equivalent to 3% of the global population. It is also threatened by development close to the colonies, disturbance and persecution by humans, as well as light and sound pollution.
The European storm petrel
The smallest of local seabirds, the European storm petrel (MT: kangu ta’ Fifla) is hardly larger than a sparrow. It has a fluttering flight and hovers over the water’s surface while searching for floating food. The Maltese population of 5,000 to 8,000 pairs is equivalent to 50% of the global population and it breeds mainly on the small island of Filfla.
Protecting Malta’s seabirds
Many efforts are being made to protect the yelkouan shearwater through the LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija project. While the yelkouan shearwater is the most at risk, the other seabirds in Malta are also protected. In a bid to give all Malta’s seabirds protection on land and at sea, eight marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) were established in 2016 which were subsequently designated as marine Special Protection Areas (SPAs) within the Natura 2000 network by the Maltese government and supported by the European Commission.
Take a shearwater boat trip
BirdLife Malta annually organises shearwater trips departing from Marfa Jetty and Gozo’s Mgarr Harbour. During the sunset boat trips happening during June and July, you can experience first hand a spectacular natural phenomenon: hundreds of scopoli’s shearwaters ‘rafting’ on the water before returning to their nests in the cliffs at Ta’ Cenc, Gozo. Boat trips are focused on these birds because they are the easiest to spot. These boat trips tend to fill up well in advance so keep your eyes peeled for the events.