A variety of wintering birds have made the Għadira and Simar nature reserves their homes and BirdLife is inviting the public to go and watch them.

“Over the past few weeks little grebes, moorhen and the more secretive water rail, among other birds, have made Is-Simar nature reserve in Xemxija their home,” Geoffrey Attard, from BirdLife, said.

Similarly, the Għadira nature reserve in Mellieħa attracted a variety of water birds like kingfishers, black-necked grebes and coot. The birds are expected to remain in the reserves till spring 2011 and can be viewed from the bird watching hides open to the public.

People can visit the reserves, free of charge, on weekends between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The reserves are the largest remaining salt marsh habitats in the Maltese islands and are rich in endemic plants and insects. They are some of the few places in the islands where the killifish, a small breed of fish, breeds.

Some of the wintering birds remain at the reserves during spring to breed, joining returning species, such as the little ringed plover, which only breed at the Għadira nature reserve.

The reserves are protected under EU nature conservation legislation as special protection areas and special areas of conservation.

Footage of some of the birds spotted these past few weeks can be seen at www.birdlifemalta.org.

The sites remain open over the weekends until May.