Birdwatching in Buskett

Last Monday bird watchers at Buskett saw and photographed two black storks by soaring over Buskett and other parts of Malta. The two spectacular birds were flying at a great height and visited Buskett several times during the afternoon. As it was getting dark they began to loose height and attempted to land somewhere outside the limits of the bird sanctuary but as they were landing several shots were heard. One of the two birds was seen falling to the ground shot. The other did not rise and was presumably shot as well.

When I started watching birds in 1977 visiting Buskett Gardens in September was like finding yourself in a war zone during a fierce battle. There used to be hundreds of hunters openly walking around as if they owned the place shooting at any bird within range of their guns. Buskett was a no go area for all non-hunters as it was too dangerous for anybody to be in the garden and in the surrounding countryside.

Birdwatchers used to try to be as innocuous as possible as their mere presence was taken as a provocation by the hunters some of whom did not think twice before shooting in their direction. The police hardly ever turned up at Buskett and when they did, not much action could be taken. The law stated that it was illegal to discharge a firearm in Buskett Gardens but it was not illegal for anybody to be there with a gun in his hand waiting for a bird to come within range. Furthermore birds of prey were not protected species.

The legislation changed in 1980. Birds of prey were among the birds which could not be shot but most hunters ignored the law and continued to shoot at raptors as before. Hundreds of honey buzzards, marsh harriers, kestrels, hobbies and other rare birds continued to be shot in Buskett.  In view of this situation youth members of the BirdLife Malta which at the time was known as the Malta Ornithological Society organised protests against the annual massacre of birds of prey in Buskett. 

During these protests they were often attacked and sometimes injured. After years of campaigns the situation started to change. Today Buskett Gardens is a relatively safe place for birds and humans. One can watch migrating birds without seeing them being shot in the bird sanctuary. The former youths who organised and took part in the protests in the 1980s now visit Buskett with their young and not so young children knowing that it is no longer dangerous to be there while birds of prey are migrating. Unfortunately the situation still has not changed in other parts of the Maltese islands and birds of prey as well as other protected birds are still being shot. 

This weekend Maltese and foreign volunteers who are monitoring bird hunting found the remains of nearly two hundred protected birds at Miżieb which is public land managed by the hunters. Miżieb is an important spot for migrating birds where and should be declared a protected area for birds and humans. 

This article was published in The Times on 23 September 2009. 

A treat for the eye and the palate

Chicken of the woods – an edible shelf fungus

The sulphur shelf is a bright yellow bracket mushroom that grows on the bark of trees, especially oaks. To be more precise I should say that the fungus grows in the trunk of trees and branches. What we see on the bark is the fruiting body which appears only at particular times of the year to produce and disperse spores.

The fruiting body of the sulphur shelf does not look anything like the typical mushroom with which we are familiar. It grows straight out of the bark and does not have a stalk. The fungus feeds on the dead wood at the core of the tree. After years of feeding the wood decays into a powder leaving a hollow trunk which is said to make the tree better able to resist the forces of nature.


A large specimen appears every autumn on an old English oak that grows along one of the main paths in Buskett. I have seen it every autumn for the past fifteen years or so but although it is very visible most people who walk past the tree do not see it, and if they do, they do not bother to look at it twice.

The sulphur shelf is found in Europe and North America. It is edible when young although some people are allergic to it and suffer from gastrointestinal problems after eating it. It is said to have a unique mushroomy taste. Others describe the taste as similar to that of crab or lobster while there is a general consensus that it reminds one of chicken. In fact another name for it is chicken mushroom or chicken of the wood. Although wild specimens are usually collected for cooking, this species can also be cultivated.

Some specimens can grow to a large size; one specimen collected in 1990 in the New Forest in Hampshire in the United Kingdom weighed more than 45 kilograms and has even found a place in the Guinness Book or Records.  

In 2009 it was depicted on a 5 cent stamp which was one of a set of five stamps featuring Maltese fungi issued by Maltapost.  

This article was published in The Times on 10.10.2012

When raptors spread their wings

Honey buzzard

The autumn raptor migration is in full swing. 

Every day thousands of birds of prey start a precarious journey south to avoid the cold weather in their breeding grounds in Europe. Their routes will take them over forests, mountains lakes and rivers. 

Not being fond of wide sea crossings many will veer to the west over France, Spain and Gibraltar to cross into Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar. 

Others will take an eastern route, reaching Africa via Turkey, where they only have to cross the narrow Istanbul Strait which is also known as the Bosphorus.

Other raptors, including many birds of prey from Scandinavia, take a route directly south, flying over Italy, Sicily and over Malta and from here to North Africa.

Migrating raptors avoid wide sea crossings because when soaring, they use rising air currents, known as thermals, which form above land but not above water.

In Malta, raptors can be seen throughout September. The largest numbers arrive during the third week. The most common species are marsh harrier (bugħadam aħmar), honey buzzard (kuċċarda), hobby (seqer tal-ħannieqa) and kestrel (spanjulet). Other species are seen especially falcons such as the Eleonora’s Falcon (bies tar-reġina) as well as several species of eagle.

Watching migrating raptors can be an unforgettable experience and the beautiful thing about it is that no experience is needed to enjoy the spectacle. On good days hundreds of raptors can be seen soaring; some high and some very low. Late in the afternoon many close their wings and dive for the trees to roost. 

One of the best spots to watch the raptors is in the area just outside Buskett Gardens known as Clapham Junction.

I have watched migrating raptors in several places in Europe, Asia and Africa but up to now I have not been to a place where these majestic birds can be seen as beautifully as at Buskett. 

If Buskett and the surrounding areas continue to be strictly protected, every autumn, birders from other parts of the world will start visiting Malta specifically to watch raptors migrating over Buskett. 

This article was published in The Times on 19.09.2012

The oak eggar

The oak eggar is a beautiful large moth. It is seen in August and September mainly in Buskett and its surroundings. 

The males are red brown and fly during the day and many people mistake them for butterflies.

 Last Sunday, while watching the migration of raptors at Buskett I saw at least three oak eggars being caught and eaten by bee eaters, the brightly coloured migratory birds that specialise in hunting flying insects especially bees.

Female oak eggars are larger and paler than males and are nocturnal. It is said that females fly slowly at dusk dropping eggs on the vegetation below but I still have to see this interesting behaviour.

The eggs are laid on ivy which grows in abundance especially on the north-facing walls in Buskett. In Maltese the oak eggar is known as baħrija tal-ballut but it should be pointed out that despite its name, this species does not feed on oak, but is called so because its cocoon is shaped like an acorn.

The caterpillar is covered in brown hairs and has a black line between each segment on each of which there is a small tuft of white hair along the sides. I have seen and photographed the caterpillar on the leaves of the bramble at Wied il-Luq and also walking on the ground in the vicinity of this common plant.

The oak eggar belongs to the Lasiocampidae family of moths which has over 2000 species worldwide. These are usually large moths with feather-like antennae. The caterpillars are covered in long hair. Four species are found in the Maltese islands. 

This article was published in The Times on 22.0./2010