A pair of swallows is again breeding in Malta, this time building a nest in Mellieha.
The swallows were discovered earlier this month by Michael Sammut, a very active birdwatcher.
The swallows have chosen a very unusual site for their mud nest, as they are breeding in a corridor of a series of overlying garages at Tas-Sellum, where the entry is either through a two-storey high shaft or the winding garage entrance.
The birds are incubating four eggs.
The managing warden of the Ghadira nature reserve, Charles Gauci, had been observing a pair of birds feeding together and collecting feathers from the islands. The feathers are used to line the nest and the birds are likely to be the same pair.
Individual pairs of swallows have nested in Malta from time to time. The first breeding record was in 1974 at Mqabba. A pair had also bred in an old farmhouse at Bidnija in 1995 while another pair raised two broods in the Buskett area in 2004. A pair must have bred again last year as a family party of six, four very recently fledged young and two adults, was seen at Ghadira in August last year.
Spotted flycatchers, a few pairs of which have been breeding regularly since 1971, are breeding at Buskett. At least four pairs have been counted this year. Spotted flycatchers have been recorded breeding in other areas such as the Addolorata Cemetery, Howard Gardens, in Rabat, San Anton Gardens and Ta' Qali national park.
Some pairs of chaffinches have also bred this year. Two family parties of six and four chaffinches were noted at Mellieha. A pair was seen at Ramla, Gozo, and there are also several birds at Buskett, but breeding has not yet been confirmed in these two places.
Several pairs of moorhens bred at Ghadira and Is-Simar. Reed warblers, first recorded breeding in July 1997, too bred at Is-Simar. This year, a bird ringed as a young species at Is-Simar in 1999, was re-trapped there and was found to be a breeding female.
A pair of woodchat shrikes bred successfully at Buskett and was seen feeding the fletched young while another pair was seen in the area of Burmarrad earlier this month but no breeding has been confirmed in this case. But the biggest success story has been the collared dove. Formerly a vagrant of which a few individual birds used to be recorded, there is a colony of about 40 birds at Santa Marija estate in Mellieha. The first pair was confirmed breeding in August 2003. It is not yet sure whether the birds that are breeding were migrants who settled there or birds that were released or which escaped from captivity.
The birds can be heard cooing and can be seen flying and displaying with open tails and settling on anything from trees to TV antennas as well as buildings in the area. Some of them are rather tame.
There are also a few barbary doves in the area too, which are very close relatives of the collared doves and which have undoubtedly been released or have escaped from captivity. It remains to be seen whether they will establish themselves in the area.
The population of collared doves has increased to an extent that it is gradually spilling to nearby areas and individual birds and pairs have been seen near the Red Tower in Mellieha.
A pair of tawny pipits is also probably breeding at Manikata after two birds were lately seen displaying in flight.
Two pairs of such pipits had bred at Dingli in July 1993 while other birds were noted at Ta' Cenc and Manikata last year but breeding could not be confirmed.
At least three pairs of Little ringed plovers have bred at Ghadira raising some 13 chicks while a pair has a second brood. Little grebes bred at Is-Simar reserve for the first time this year, raising three chicks.