The area next to a Ħal Far site earmarked for an airstrip for model aircraft is a nesting ground for vulnerable seabirds that are sensitive to sound and light, BirdLife Malta has warned. The alarm was initially raised by a group of farmers who told Times of Malta about plans to turn a stretch of land off Wied Żnuber into a miniature airstrip. The area is situated between a strip of factories and cliffs that are home to colonies of shearwaters and seagulls. A Scopoli’s Shearwater. Photo: Aron Tanti. It is right next to a Natura 2000 site that falls under the protection of the EU’s birds and habitats directives. BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana told Times of Malta the area is a nesting site forthe Yelkouan Shearwater and Scopoli’s Shearwater, pelagic seabirds that are very sensitive to sound and light. “These species of birds need all the protection they can get. The Yelkouan Shearwater is in a vulnerable status and both species have been studied for tens of years across the islands,” he said. The area touted for the airstrip is marked as “industrial” in the South Malta Local Plan. The Birżebbuġa local council says this does not automatically mean the area can be developed. Sultana said...