From December and on, visit Salina, Simar and Għadira Nature Reserves and enjoy new activities and games we’re proposing to our visitors. While we believe that connecting with nature and spending time outdoors has many benefits, we wanted to incorporate some activities that will boost your observation skills and creativity. You can choose the activity according to your interests and things you want to know and have a joyful walk, exploring nature in a new way.
Check out the activities down below and stop by at the reserves and pick the game you like:
BIOBLITZ: Celebrate nature by exploring the reserve for different plants and animals. Learn more about Maltese flora and fauna and find out how they live! Walk around the reserve exploring what plants and animals you can find and write down everything you see! When you spot something, write a short description so you can work out what it is later.
SCAVENGER HUNT: Explore the reserve for hidden treasures! Using your own scavenger hunt sheet provided at the visitor centre, explore the reserve and look for different natural items. See how many you can find and if you are able to find them all.
A CLOSER LOOK: Take a closer look at the nature reserve’s visiting birds. Check out the reserve map and learn more about birds’ habitats and their feeding habits. Explore the path and watch for the bird feeding station, sit in a comfortable place and wait quietly for birds to come and feed.
LISTENING BINGO: Close your eyes, open your ears and explore the nature reserve in a different way! Collect your bingo sheet with the different sounds you can hear in the reserve. Find a comfortable spot along the path and close your eyes to concentrate on the many sounds you can hear.
BE A PAINTER: Get arty and creative in the nature reserve by using nature as your inspiration. Collect your drawing paper at the visitor centre and find a spot in the reserve to sit for your creative flow.
Please note the opening hours of our reserves. Għadira Nature Reserve is open on Mondays and Thursdays 2pm-6pm and Saturdays and Sundays 10am-4pm while Simar Nature Reserve is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 2pm-6pm and Sundays 10am-4pm.
In the case of Salina Nature Reserve, the reserve is open for visits on all days and visitors may walk through part of the park freely Monday to Sunday between 7am and 6pm. The visitor centre is now open during the week between 8am and 4pm and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
Then there is also Foresta 2000 Nature Reserve which is open all year round and is accessible 24 hours a day.
We would like to remind everyone that COVID-19 restrictions apply at the moment and these include wearing masks at all times, and admission of limited groups of people on the hour on a first-come, first-served basis (Simar and Għadira) during opening hours, together with limits on the number of people allowed in the reception centres and birdwatching hides. For more details visit the respective webpages and Facebook pages of our reserves. Entry to all our reserves is free of charge but donations are welcome!
Visit us at the nature reserves to try out these new activities. They are all designed for kids and adults with a special attention to safety measures in place.
See you soon to have fun together!
By Alice Fantin, BirdLife Malta Education Assistant
Alice Fantin is an Erasmus+ volunteer following a European Solidarity Corps programme
