12 - 18 MONTHS DURATION
our iconic seabirds. The famous Yelkouan Shearwaters have usually left the islands by late July, but Scopoli’s Shearwater (previously also known as Cory’s Shearwater) are summer birds. They do breed in Malta, but the biggest colony is at Ta’ Ċenċ, Gozo. You’ll see them rafting (sitting on the water to rest) at dusk before they fly into cliff burrows to feed their young. Coun try Life Out in the countryside, butterflies boom in the summer. You’ll see species such as the orange and black Painted Lady, the lovely Large White Butterfly or the Swallowtail Butterfly (Malta has an endemic subspecies, meaning it is found nowhere else in the world). In the Foresta 2000 woodland nature reserve, look beyond the trees and you might well spot some of Malta’s reptiles. Cat Snakes, Mediterranean Chameleon and Maltese Wall Lizards are all relatively common – if you’re lucky, you’ll find them basking in the sun. They are widespread elsewhere if you keep your eyes open. And just as the island seems totally parched and devoid of flowers, Seaside Squills bloom in August in the valleys, cliffs and garrigue (limestone coastal areas), their pale flowers supported by skinny stalks. Bees flock to them in the absence of almost all other flowering plants at this time of year (although in the garrigue you might still find some aromatic Thyme and on the fringes of sandy beaches, the occasional Sea Daffodil growing). Before you flee back to the air-conditioning, there’s one more species to seek out; to catch its prey, the Praying Mantis can move faster than the human eye can see, but in between ambushes, you can get a good look at them, front legs held in a Zen-like pose. Find them near flowering plants or lights at night.