Ghadira Nature Reserve

Għadira lies immediately behind the sand of Mellieħa Bay, a shallow brackish pool and saltmarsh declared a bird sanctuary in 1978, opened as a nature reserve in 1988 and managed by BirdLife Malta. On an island with almost no wetland it is disproportionately important: herons, waders, ducks and passerines stop here on migration between Africa and Europe, and around two hundred and fifty species have been recorded. Hides and a marked path run around part of the pool.

History

For centuries the area was a salt pan open to Mellieħa Bay, falling out of use around the 16th century after new pans were made at Salina. A road planned around 1966 threatened it, and the Malta Ornithological Society called for a reserve; with the British naturalist Herbert Axell it became a bird sanctuary in 1978, work began in 1980 with a donation of 25,000 US dollars from the World Wildlife Fund, and the reserve was inaugurated in 1988 (Wikipedia, Għadira).

Highlights

• The brackish pool - a rare wetland on an island with almost no standing water.
• The migration stopover - herons, waders and passerines resting between continents.
• The hides - watching points around the edge of the pool.
• The planting - native trees and shrubs established around the reserve.

When to go

Autumn and spring migration periods are by far the best. The reserve opens to the public only on certain days and times, mostly at weekends in season. Summer is quiet with few birds.

Good to know

Opening is very limited, generally weekend mornings in the migration seasons, and it is closed for much of the year. It is small. Illegal shooting in the surrounding countryside remains a problem.

Nearby

Mellieha Bay is in front of it, and Mellieha town is above.

Key facts