Several herons have been glimpsed at Xemxija’s Simar Nature Reserve, which provides a haven for both resident and migrating birds. The birds seen in the past weeks include a Squacco Heron (Agrett Isfar in Maltese), Grey Heron (Russett Griż) and a Little Egret (Agrett Abjad).
The Squacco and Grey Herons are usually seen in Malta from March to April and between October and November, but are also occasionally seen in the months of May, September and December. The Little Egret is also occasionally spotted in June, explaining the recent sightings of this bird.
Simar provides a mixture of habitats for various wildlife, including open pools, reedbed and trees. The pools tend to attract aquatic birds such as herons, rails and kingfishers, but also provide a home for the rare and protected Mediterranean Killifish and species of rare tassel-weed.
Simar is a fully protected bird sanctuary, and was restored to a wetland environment by BirdLife in 1992 with a network of pools, canals and islands created, hundreds of trees planted, restoring the site to the thriving sanctuary it is today.
Have you ever visited Simar Nature Reserve?