One for the birds

André Raine (Ed.) Il-Merill: The Ornithological Journal of Birdlife Malta No.32, 2010, pp120. €10

Il-Merill was first published by the Malta Ornithological Society in April 1970. Thirty-one issues later, a lot has changed. The MOS is now a much bigger and better-organised Birdlife Malta. Ornithology is an established science locally, though sadly not yet at University.

The journal itself is edited by a professional ornithologist. Given the success story it’s fitting that issue 32 should pay tribute to Edmund Johnson, the first editor, who died in 2009 aged 96.

The present and much-awaited bumper issue includes eight substantial articles and 18 short notes.

There are also ‘systematic lists’ of observations and a ringing report for 2000-2005, as well as the first ever National Rarities Committee report.

The most prolific contributor is John Borg, curator at the National Museum of Natural History.

The majority of articles deal with the breeding ecology of seabirds.

Not surprisingly for an island, this is in line with tradition. Indeed, the amount of research material collected over the years is now quite staggering, to the extent that Malta has been established as one of the main sites for shearwater and petrel research in the region.

The other papers deal with status reviews of the Black Tern, Eleo­nora’s Falcon, and Audouin’s Gull. Due in part to the increase of seawatching and the availability of refined gull identification guides, the Audouin’s Gull is now considered a regular sight around our coasts. There is also an interesting longitudinal study of the White Wagtail roost in Valletta, recently made infamous when ‘pruning’ by the ELC reduced the trees in Great Siege Square to stumps.

The ‘short notes’ section consists of one-off records and feathered curiosities. We learn that five new species have been added to our list of breeding birds, including three waterbirds. No fewer than 10 species have been recorded in Malta for the first time. These include such gems as Purple Swamp-Hen and Red-Breasted Goose, as well as two species (Greenish Warbler and Siberian Rubythroat) that were discovered by bird ringers.

Il-Merill represents a very significant labour for Birdlife Malta. Apart from the fascinating content it tells us three things about the state of the art.

First, the tremendous debt that ornithology in Malta owes to individuals who have spent their lives looking through binoculars. The doyen, albeit in some very good company, is easily Joe Sultana.

Second, that local research leans heavily towards the ecology of breeding birds and the status of migrants and wintering birds.

Notwithstanding a mass of knowledge circulated orally within circles of birdwatchers, there is so far very little published information on the dynamics of migration.

Finally, Il-Merill serves to remind us that Birdlife Malta is the one natural habitat of serious ornithology in Malta today. One can only look forward to the next issue.