World Wetlands Day, being marked today, is an occasion when the world marks the international importance of wetlands. This year, World Wetlands Day is made more special in Malta as, for only the second time on record in the Maltese islands, a little grebe (Blongun zghir) has been confirmed breeding within the refuge of Simar nature reserve in Xemxija.

The only other breeding record of a little grebe in Malta was also from Simar nature reserve, when a pair raised three young ones in 2006. “What is particularly remarkable this time around,” said Charles Coleiro, warden of the nature reserve, “is that the birds must have been nesting in late December and early January. This means that it is one of the first little grebes to breed in the whole of Europe this year. It’s incredible to think that its nest somehow survived the heavy rains, wind and storms that we have had during the last few months.”

The chick was first spotted by Mr Coleiro last week with the pair of grebes busily dashing around the reserve, catching fish and insects to feed their offspring. The Simar wetland, with its pools, dense reedbeds and protection from hunting, provided the ideal refuge for the pair of grebes to successfully hatch their single chick.

Apart from Simar, the Ghadira Nature Reserve is Malta’s other internationally important wetland. Wetlands are one of the most important habitats in the world. They are extremely varied and can consist of anything from dense swamps and marshes to salt pans and volcanic crater lakes. Wetlands are everywhere and are among the most species-rich habitats in the world, on a par with tropical rainforests. Their fundamental importance was recognised by the international community 37 years ago when, on February 2, 1971, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed in the Iranian coastal city of Ramsar. The Ramsar Convention, as it is now called, has 157 parties, to date, and covers 1,708 wetland sites, totalling an incredible 153 million hectares.

To mark World Wetlands Day this year, BirdLife Malta is opening the Simar and the Ghadira nature reserves (both included in the Ramsar list) for members of the public to visit from 10am until 4pm today and tomorrow. Entrance to the reserves is free of charge. Visitors to Simar may get a glimpse of the little grebes and their chick throughout the following month, together with many other wintering bird species. Normal opening hours for Simar nature reserve are Sundays between 10am and 4pm, whereas the Ghadira nature reserve opens on both Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm.

For more information on the nature reserves, visit www.birdlifemalta.org