

Saturday 27th of March 2021 and I was happy to get back on the roads with my Driver. It was nice to relax for one day but not many birds when I was walking around the area yesterday. I hope for better luck today and we are going to start at the eBird hotspot: “San Anton Gardens” and it takes us about 10 minutes to get there.
I pass the small gate and I found myself in the park. I was a little surprised about the size of the park. It was way bigger than I had expected. I walked around and it did not take long to discover all the pigeons. People were feeding them so there was plenty of them. People were also feeding the cats and the cats are very big, some of them looked like the legs could not reach the ground.
San Anton Gardens
San Anton Gardens
San Anton Gardens
San Anton Gardens
I spent more than one hour in the park and I enjoyed every minute of it. I had been in the park for 3 minutes when I spotted the first Sardinian Warbler. I also saw my first Collared Dove since I arrived to Malta. And they looked to be flirting with each other’s,
So I guess there will be eggs in the park soon.
I stopped at the “prison” pond where they keep 2 black swans in prison. Open pond but no way they have space to take off before hitting the 50 cm high fence around the pond. But there was 4 Mallards and at least one of them looked to be cross breeding.
Western Subalpine Warbler
Western Subalpine Warbler
Today's track at San Anton Gardens
eBird Report
San Anton Gardens, Malta, Malta
Mar 27, 2021 07:12 - 08:29
Protocol: Traveling
0.8 kilometer(s)
6 species
Mallard 4 Looks to be at least one cross breedings
Feral Pigeon 1 Many
Collared Dove 4
Subalpine Warbler 1
Sardinian Warbler 3
Spanish Sparrow X
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S84166716
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
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We left the park and next stop was the eBird hotspot: “Top Of The World- Għargħur” and I walk along the jogging/ walking track on the cliff side. There are many girds but I only manage to ID the Sardinian Warblers. The other birds are too far away for any ID by me.
Hotspot Fort Madliena and I enjoyed walking along the walk path through a beautiful scenery. Not much birds, but great weather and a beautiful scenery
Beautiful view from eBird hotspot: “Top Of The World- Għargħur”
Beautiful view from eBird hotspot: “Top Of The World- Għargħur”
Walking around eBird hotspot: “Fort Madliena”
We drive to the next eBird hotspot: “Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta”. Another park not far away. Well, everything here on Malta is just a few minutes away. Malta is a very small island and sometimes it is confusing. When you pass the same area several times going between the hotspots.
We parked the car and the area did not look like much from the parking. But I grew to like the area and I spent more than 1 hour in the area and there were many birds in the park.
Eurasian Collared Dove
eBird hotspot: “Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta”
eBird hotspot: “Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta”
Today's track at San Anton Gardens
eBird Report
Gnien l-Gharusa tal-Mosta, Malta, Malta
Mar 27, 2021 10:20 - 11:30
Protocol: Traveling
0.95 kilometer(s)
7 species
Collared Dove 1
Eurasian Hoopoe 1
Willow Warbler 1
Common Chiffchaff 1
Sardinian Warbler 2
Spanish Sparrow X
White Wagtail (alba) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S84169080
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
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We visit two more hotspots, Ghajn Rihana (Burmarrad side) and Ghajn Rihana before we drive in to the town Mosta to look for a pizza or a pastizzeria for the traditional Maltese pastries.
My Driver told me that the church in the town have the third biggest dome in the world. (Back home I found out that the church is the Mosta Rotunda) We stop to take a picture and we discover a pizzeria next to the church.
Mosta Rotunda
The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady (Maltese: Santwarju Bażilika ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta (Maltese: Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta) or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church and Minor Basilica in Mosta, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
It was built between 1833 and the 1860s to neoclassical designs of Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, on the site of an earlier Renaissance church which had been built in around 1614 to designs of Tommaso Dingli.
The design of the present church is based on the Pantheon in Rome, has the third largest unsupported dome in the world and is Malta's largest and most famous church.
The church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II when on 9 April 1942 a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during Mass, but failed to explode.
This event was interpreted by the Maltese as a miracle, although many bombs failed to explode.
From Wikipedia
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Mosta Rotunda
We see a pizzeria next to the Mosta Rotunda
We go to buy pizza
We found the Pastizzeria
The pizzeria was a disappointment, take away only, as expected during the virus. But they don't have pizza until after 6 o'clock tonight. We were lucky and we found one pastizzeria across the road. We bought food and we returned to the taxi.
We visited a few more eBird hotspots before going back to the hotel, Dwejra - Nadur Tower - Nadur Tower and the last hotspot Fomm ir-Rih & Bahrija reedbed.
My driver will be here at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning again and I hope to see more birds tomorrow, or at least get more pictures. Click HERE to find out.


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