This coming Sunday, the 10th of November, the Richmond Foundation and BirdLife Malta will be organising a guided walk followed by a clean-up on the top of the cliffs at Rdum tal-Madonna: the home of Malta’s largest breeding colony of the endangered Yelkouan Shearwater (Garnija in Maltese).

Meeting at 10am in front of the Chapel of Our Lady, the walk will take visitors on a uniquely intimate tour of the site and introduce them some of the amazing creatures found there, as well as providing some of the most breathtaking cliff-top views on the islands.

Maltese and English speaking guides will explain the significance of the site for wildlife and the work being done to protect it.

The area of L-Ahrax and Rdum tal-Madonna is internationally important for wildlife and is protected under Maltese and European law as a Natura 2000 site, not only for the seabirds that nest on the cliffs, but also for the rocky garrigue habitat on the cliff-tops, which is home to numerous plants and animals, including some that are found only in the Maltese Islands, like Maltese Spurge, and the Maltese Wall Lizard (pictured).

It is also a popular walking and picnicking spot with locals and tourists, but like many other heritage sites and beauty spots around the islands it suffers from problem littering and illegal fly-tipping.

So, as well as going to see, enjoy and learn about the wildlife of the site, following the walk, participants are invited to help with a clean-up of the site, parts of which are often badly affected by littering and opportunistic fly-tipping.

BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager, Nicholas Barbara said, “the rubbish left behind is more than just an eyesore, it is also a serious threat to the nesting seabirds on the cliffs below as it attracts rats to the area, which then predate the eggs and young chicks on their nests.”

Because shearwaters only have a single egg each year, every one lost to predators has a large impact on the population.

“It is very important for the protection of these birds that we do everything possible to reduce predation of chicks and that means keeping cliffs litter-free,” said Mr Barbara.

After the walk and the clean-up on the cliffs, participants are invited to visit Ghadira Nature Reserve just down the road in Ghadira Bay. Ghadira is the site of Malta’s first wetland reserve- a patchwork of islands in a mixed salt and freshwater lagoon, which provide shelter and feeding habitat for many migrating and breeding birds, especially waders and other wetland species.

This weekend, the reserve will be open to the public for the first time this season. Opening times are 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

This activity is being carried out together with the Richmond Foundation for mental health http://richmond.org.mt.

Anyone interested in booking a place is asked to contact the Richmond Foundation Tel: 21440 324 / 21224508 or Email: info@richmond.org.mt.

Photos – The Chapel of Our Lady, on top of the cliffs of Rdum tal-Madonna. Photo by Matthew Borg Cardona. Rdum tal- Madonna offers some of the most stunning views of the island’s sea-cliffs and caves. Photo by André Raine. A Yelkouan Shearwater, over the sea below the cliffs at Rdum tal-Madonna. Photo by Frank Dhermain and an endemic Maltese Wall Lizard. Photo by John Aldridge.

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