Occasionally, a happy flock of sparrows visits my veranda. They flit around searching for food. Now I know that sparrows are not exactly exotic birds by any means but I find these little creatures very entertaining to watch. Which explains why I’m happy to visit the Għadira Nature Reserve to find out more about bird watching.

Ray Galea has always been an animal lover. He joined the young members section of the Malta Ornithological Society, now Birdlife Malta, as a teenager. Since then, his love of birds has become a passion and he regularly visits the reserve to indulge in his hobby and guide visitors.

“The attraction of birdwatching stretches beyond just watching birds,” he says. “It’s also a way to enjoy the outdoors as it brings you close to nature.”

Galea explains that Malta hosts around 400 different bird species, especially during migration. As a member of Birdlife Malta, Galea is committed to the organisation’s conservation efforts and is a certified bird ringer. Bird ringing is the practice of catching birds in order to attach an individually numbered tag, weigh, measure and examine the bird. Future recapture of the bird provides important ornithological information about migration, feeding behaviour and population studies.

“Birds are intriguing to watch because all birds are individual. They differ in the way they fly, mate and search for food. For instance, the shape of their beaks varies according to the bird’s food source, which can range from seeds to worms. Other birds feed in water. Each species varies in size, plumage and call but in time you learn to identify a bird simply by its song.”

As we wander around the reserve, Galea tells me that the novice bird watcher needs to be equipped with a decent pair of binoculars and a good guide to birds.

“At first, it’s a good idea to pair up with experienced enthusiasts who will be able to help you learn to identify the different birds, advise you on where and when to go out birding. This is a very social hobby and, besides organising birdwatching outings, we keep one another informed of any sightings of rare birds.

The Spanish sparrow is a very common breeding bird. The male has a lovely plumage.

In time, novice birdwatchers may also consider purchasing a good quality camera as photographing the birds they spot becomes a secondary pastime.

“Birding also requires a certain amount of patience, especially when you’re looking for a particular bird. Sometimes we spend hours sitting in one place waiting for a bird to return. During the autumn migration season bird watchers spend entire days in Buskett watching birds of prey fly overhead.”

Silence is another birdwatching virtue – you have to be quiet to listen out for the birds’ unique song. As we stop to listen once again, Galea identifies the Sardinian warbler, which breeds in Malta and has even been found nesting in people’s gardens.

Among the 150 bird species that are commonly spotted here, the more colourful varieties include the bee-eater and kingfisher. Larger birds like herons, flamingos and storks can also be spotted relatively often.

As we stroll around the reserve, birdsong rings out from among the trees as birds make their presence known. The beauty of birdwatching is that there are birds to see all year round with breeding birds stopping here during the summer months.

“Autumn migrant birds start flying over in July and August as they make their way from Europe to Africa for the winter. This is the longest migrating period as it lasts until around November.

“Spring migration is much shorter as the birds seem to be in an urgent rush to arrive at their European breeding ground – this means that more birds fly over in a relatively short time span. March is probably the quietest time of year as this is when winter visitors start making their way to Europe while the spring migration has not yet started in earnest,” Galea says.

Birdlife Malta’s kids’ club, Klabb Ħuttaf, introduces young naturalists to birding and, besides birdwatching, the club organises various nature activities including hikes, tree planting and boat rides. These offer a glimpse of nature that is usually inaccessible to the public. Teenage members enjoy more adventurous activities including night hikes and camping.

Although Galea has spotted most of the birds that fly over Malta, there are a number of species that he still has to record seeing.

“Not a lot of birds breed and live here, so we rely on birds of passage. Whenever a rare bird is sighted the grapevine gets to work and everyone flocks to catch a glimpse. If you miss it, the disappointment is unbearable, especially if you’ve never seen that particular bird before.”

As I leave the tranquil reserve with the sound of birdsong still ringing in my ears, I can’t help but wonder at the beauty of our varied feathered friends.

For more information, visit www.birdlifemalta.org. Birdlife Malta administers three nature reserves which are open to the public, without charge. Għadira Nature Reserve is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am till 4pm between November and May. Simar Nature Reserve, Xemxija opens on Sundays from 10am till 4pm from November to May. Foresta 2000, Marfa Ridge, is administered in partnership with Din l-Art Ħelwa and Parc, the afforestation department within the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change and is always open.