The coastal heritage of Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park is an impressive one. The features that are found include cliffs, boulder screes, visible layers of geological rocks, old stone stairways, old rubble walls, a medieval village, British military structures, and whole communities of coastal plants well-adapted to live in harsh conditions. The coastal area of the Park also holds a landscape of high aesthetic quality.

Much of the coastal area of the Park consists of cliffs and boulder screes. In some areas slopes of blue clay and detached boulders of greensand are also visible. The greensand when exposed turns orange, and greensand rocks become very visible even from far away. Along some parts of the rocky ground near the edges of the cliffs there are narrow and deep gashes. These are also present in some parts of the cliff faces. These gashes form when underlying rocks of greensand and blue clay weather and erode down, leaving the upper layers of rock (upper coralline limestone) without support. The boulders beneath the cliffs are in fact the result of this. Some boulders slip or fall down beneath the cliffs, others tumble further down and may end up at the sea shore, forming boulder screes. These boulder screes are absent in the northernmost and southernmost areas of the Park.  The whole habitat of cliffs, clay slopes and boulder screes is known as Rdum. Walking in the rdum of il-Majjistral Park one cannot be awed by the impressive towering cliffs and large chunk of rocks. Rocks here can have a “sponge-like” surface, the result of countless years of rock weathering and erosion. Rock boulders resting on each other often give rise to a cave-like formations. The northernmost coastal area of the Park holds low cliffs rising directly from the sea. Weathering and erosion processes especially by the sea waves have here formed caves.

In the southernmost area of the Park is Ramla tal-Mixquqa where a rare habitat exists: a sand dune. The sand blown inwards by the wind forms mounds that some plants can inhabit resulting in the formation of sand dune communities.

In the area of Rdum id-Delli there is a subsidence structure (doline or sinkhole), where rainwater carries sediments down towards the coast. One process of doline formation is when the ground collapses because the underlying rocks are chemically dissolved, leaving a weak “roof” that will eventually collapse.

The coastal area of the Park is of immense natural heritage. The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) haunts the cliffs and rdum. It is a common breeder and its presence enriches the coastal biodiversity. Its melodious song can be heard on many months of the year. The coastal area also holds most of the few breeding pairs of Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti) found in the Park. Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) and a few pairs of Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata) also breed in the coastal areas.

The flora of the coastal heritage abounds with rare and endemic species. Ferns find here a good habitat and 4 species have been recorded, including the Mule’s Fern (Asplenium sagittatum) inhabiting deep and dark shafts. The sub-endemic, small and often un-noticeable plants of Maltese Toadflax (Linaria pseudolaxiflora) and Pignatti’s Fern Grass (Desmazeria pignattii) also find the coastal area their home. The endemic Maltese Sea Chamomile (Anthemis urvilleana) reveal themselves when in flower, these small plants inhabit both above and below the cliffs. Other coastal endemics include the Maltese salt-tree (Salsola melitensis) and Maltese and Zerapha’s Sea-lavender (Limonium melitense, Limonium zeraphae). The populations of the sub-endemic Southern Dwarf Iris (Iris pseudopumila) found so far in the Park only occur in the rdum. Good numbers of the endemic Maltese Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis urvilleana) grow in the coastal sites, as well as in other areas, of the Park. Adding to the beauty of the coastal landscape are the clay slopes full of the Esparto Grass (Lygeum spartum), its rhizomes helping to lessen the erosion of the clay. The number of other flora species at the Park, tied to or not to the coastal areas, is very high.

The sand dune at Ramla tal-Mixquqa is likewise important for a number of plants that are located only in such habitats, including the only population of Sand Restharrow (Ononis variegata) known for the Maltese islands. Perhaps the best known plant found here is the Sea Daffodil (Pancratium maritimum), often painting parts of the dune white with its flowers.

Much of the Park is composed of coralline limestone forming plateaus and coastal cliffs, however a number of different habitats can be found. A habitat is a place where wild plants and animals live. Habitats can over time degrade, especially at the hands of man, or improve. Among the most important habitats in the Park are –

Garigue. The garigue habitat is composed of low shrubs not higher than one metre, together with a number of other plants including annuals and those with a bulb or other storage organs. A typical plant of this habitat is the Mediterranean Thyme (Thymus capitatus), most in evident during flowering in late spring and early summer.

Maquis. This habitat is defined by evergreen shrubs and trees that are up to three metres high, together with a number of other plants such as climbing plants. In the Park this habitat is found in the coastal area.

Coastal Cliffs. Much of the cliffs found in the Park do not rise directly from the sea and form what is known as the rdum, where clay slopes and large boulders are found. Here a high number of wild plant species occur, including ferns. Several pairs of Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) nest in the cliffs.

Clay slope steppe. In the coastal areas, slopes of clay are visible. One typical plant of these habitats is the Esparto Grass (Lygeum spartum).

Rock pools. Temporary small rock pools form in winter on the rocky ground. The shallow ones dry quickly, but deeper ones may persist for some time and harbour aquatic life such as the freshwater shrimps (Branchipus) and species of algae.

Sand Dune. A small sand dune remnant occurs at ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa beach, where sand blown inward by the wind has formed mounds of sand that are inhabited by salt-tolerant wild plants. One key species of this dune habitat is the Sea Daffodil (Pancratium maritimum).

Fields. A number of fields also occur in the Park, some of which are abandoned, others worked. In these areas of disturbed land, a diversity of wild plants can be found, such as poppy species (Papaver), fumitory (Fumaria) and White Rocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).

The coastal area of the Park, especially below the cliffs, is relatively undisturbed and is home to a great diversity of plants. The Maltese Salt-tree (Salsola melitensis), a greyish-green endemic shrub with tiny aromatic flowers, grows in the northern coastal areas of the Park.

In the area of Rdum Majjiesa a large population of the rare shrub Shrubby Crown Vetch (Coronilla valentina) occurs. During its flowering period from early spring onward it is full of fragrant yellow flowers and it can be easily spotted from above the cliffs.
Another yellow-flowered species is the Egyptian St. John’s-wort (Hypericum aegypticum), a greyish-green low shrub with small fleshy leaves, and is found in good numbers. The endemic Maltese Spurge (Euphorbia melitensis) is a common shrub in the Park, and is not confined to the coastal areas. Its tiny yellowish flowers appear as early as December in sunny sheltered situations, and continue till April or early May.
The Maltese Spurge adds different shades of colour to the landscape; it is green at first, turns yellowish-green when flowering, and afterwards turns reddish before all the leaves are shed, and remains leafless throughout the dry season. The small and often un-noticeable sub-endemic Maltese Toadflax (Linaria pseudolaxiflora) is also present in small numbers. A number of geophyte species occur, among which is the rare sub-endemic Southern Dwarf Iris (Iris pseudopumila), which is found in small populations of the violet form.
Climbing plants of Smilax (Smilax aspera) and Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis) abound. Both produce red berries. The Smilax is prickly and often forms impenetrable thickets. Another climber is the Evergreen Traveller’s Joy (Clematis cirrhosa), which is not common here. It produces bell-shaped flowers in autumn and early winter, followed by fruits with feathery attachments that can travel and disperse with the wind.  The Honeysuckle (Lonicera implexa) is an evergreen shrub and also a climber, with twining new shoots that curl onto surrounding vegetation. Its flowers are mainly seen in spring but can be found also in autumn and winter. Many herbaceous plants thrive in the rdum habitats. The two species of Carrot, the Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) and the Cliff Carrot (Daucus gingidium) are two examples, their white flowers attracting many insects. Another species in the carrot family is the Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum), a common fleshy plant with yellowish-green flowers mainly found in autumn. It grows mostly by the sea. Hanging from the cliffs are several plants such as the Caper (Capparis orientalis), dormant in winter but producing an abundance of flowers in spring and summer.

Un-noticeable but generally frequent to common are the tiny plants of the Hairy Catchfly (Silene sedoides) and the Pygmy Groundsel (Senecio pygmaeus). The latter is a sub-endemic plant. Where freshwater streams flow down the slopes, or where it collects as pools, water-loving plants can be found including the Brookweed (Samolus valerandi) and the Round-headed Club Rush (Scirpoides holoschoenus). Nearer the sea, where water is brackish the Sharp Rush (Juncus acutus) occurs.

A feature of the Park in some areas especially in the Rdum id-Delli area are clay slopes. The Esparto Grass (Lygeum spartum) is a dominant plant on these slopes. This grass species also dominates the area towards il-Prajjet, forming a steppe community. Here nearer to the sea salt-tolerant plants grow including the endemic Zerafa’s Sea-lavender (Limonium zeraphae), Maltese Sea Chamomile (Anthemis urvilleana), Sea-Heath (Frankenia hirsuta) and Lesser Crystal-plant (Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum).  A number of trees are also found in the coastal areas, those include old Olives (Olea europaea) that have been planted several years ago, and the African Tamarix (Tamarix africana). The coastal area of the Park is also important for the Fagonia (Fagonia cretica), a low-growing spiny plant with purple flowers. This species is found only in the Park and in nearby Għajn Tuffieħa. Four species of ferns are recorded, the commonest of which is the Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris). These can be seen clinging from cliffs where water seeps, or in cave-like situations formed by boulders. The Annual Maidenhair (Anogramma leptophylla) is another fern. It is not frequent but could be overlooked due to its small size. Two very rare ferns – Mule’s Fern (Asplenium sagittatum) and Common Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) – also occur in damp habitats and are not always easy to spot.

The Garigue habitat
The Garigue habitat is also rich with native species. The garigue landscape looks parched in the dry season, as many plants are dormant and shrubs lose all or much of their leaves. In the wet season the emergence of the leaves on shrubs, and the germination or re-growth of herbaceous plants turn the landscape into a green colour.

No fewer than ten species of orchids inhabit the Park. The blooms of the Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) in April and May cannot be missed during a walk. The same goes for the similar Maltese Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis urvilleana). These flower earlier, from February to March or early April, and besides pink to purple can also be white. The endemic Maltese Spider Orchid (Ophrys melitensis) has dark brownish flowers with variable shapes on them. In late May and June, the aromatic Mediterranean Thyme (Thymus capitatus) cannot be missed, colouring whole areas in violet.

In April and May, the Maltese Shrubby Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. melitensis), a hardy and spiny endemic shrub, is filled with small scented flowers. Shrubs of silvery Olive-leaved Bindweed (Convolvulus oleifolius), Wolfbane (Periploca angustifolia), Rock Phagnalon (Phagnalon rupestre) and Maltese Spurge (Euphorbia melitensis) are also well-represented in the garigue of the Park. Less frequent in the Park is the Mediterranean Heath (Erica multiflora), a dark shrub that turns into a pinkish colour when flowering. Among the great diversity of herbaceous plants is the Southern Crupina (Crupina crupinastrum), a scarce, purple-flowering species, found in Xagħra tal-Qortin and other areas in the Park.
Tiny plants of the endemic Maltese Dwarf Garlic (Allium lojaconoi) are hardly noticeable in the dry ground, their tubular-shaped flowers bloom from May to July.

On the contrary, another bulbous species, the abundant Sea Squill (Urginea pancration) stands well visible, both when with leaves only, and when flowering in summer and autumn. In some years the garigue plateaus are filled with the long thin herbaceous stems of this species holding white flowers. Along the paths the small Barbary Nut Iris (Gynandriris sisyrinchium) cannot be missed when in bloom, their bluish flowers open in the afternoon from March to May. Another low-lying plant that can be observed along the paths on the garigue is the Mediterranean Meadow Saffron (Colchicum cupanii), this time in the autumn, the flowers whitish or darker pink/purple. Also in the autumn are the abundant but inconspicuous diminutive flowering plants of the Autumn Squill (Prospero autumnalis). A rare species discovered recently in two coastal garigue areas is the Yellow Catananche (Catananche lutea). In some areas of the garigue as well as land that has been disturbed and left fallow grow two species of Star-of-Bethlehem, the Greater and Southern Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum arabicum, O. narbonense).

The others are: Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan), Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla), Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata), Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala), Cetti’s Warbler (Cettia cetti), Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis), Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra), Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) and Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispanicus).

A feral population of pigeons (Columbia livia domestica) also nest in the cliffs, some having an almost similar true Rock Dove (Columba livia) plumage. Sardinian Warblers and Zitting Cisticolas are common residents and are likely to be seen on every visit to the Park. Spanish Sparrows are everywhere, but Tree Sparrows are scarcer and only observed in a few sites such as the barracks area. Spectacled Warblers occur in a few sites, nesting in low shrubs in the garigue or in the areas beneath the cliffs. Its presence is often revealed by its alarm calls. Cetti’s Warblers are often hard to see because they sing from trees or other vegetation. Short-toed Larks make their appearance in April after arriving from their wintering quarters in Africa. They take up territory and fly high singing above it.

The Collared Dove is a relatively recent breeder in the Maltese islands, and it is found in good numbers in several areas spread throughout Malta. However, it is still a rare breeder in the Park, with regular sightings of a few birds only at the barracks.

The rarest of the Park’s nesting species is undoubtedly the Corn Bunting. Once a common breeding bird of Malta, it has now declined severely. A handful of Corn Buntings have been recorded nesting in same areas in these last years. Here the male can be seen singing from prominent perches such as electricity wires or the top of a plant. From all nesting birds in the Park, the commonest species are Spanish Sparrows, then Zitting Cisticola followed by the Blue Rock Thrush.

Other birds that have been recorded nesting in recent years in the Park, but irregularly, include the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) and the Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris), two frequent to common spring migrants. Malta’s largest breeding bird – the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is a regular gull in the Park especially at the coastal areas but has never been found nesting.

During migration, the stretches of garigue are favoured in spring by migrants such as the Hoopoe (Upupa epops), the Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) and the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra), while in winter Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) and Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) are regulars.

For more information about wild birds in the Maltese islands and in il-Majjistral Park please check the list below.

The evolution of the Park’s landscape results directly from the position of a hard rock – the upper coralline limestone – resting on a softer rock – the Blue Clay. Blue Clay erodes by water, and when this happens the upper rock layers collapse as they have no support beneath. Some of the upper coralline limestone rocks stop below the cliffs, others fall further down into the sea. This collection of rock under the cliffs form what is known as boulder screes, and are important geomorphological features in the Park. Boulder screes at the shoreline protect it from the weathering effects of waves.

Blue Clay was formed in deep sea and is made up of fine-grained sediments with a large component of organic material derived from plankton (plants and animals that drift with the sea currents). Clay forms gentle slopes, some of which are covered by soil and vegetation. The Upper Coralline Limestone includes shallow marine sediments that contains different types of corals (marine animals that secrete calcium carbonate and are important reef builders) and coralline algae (red algae that contain calcium carbonate). The Upper Coralline Limestone forms steep cliffs and well-developed karst topography. Karst topography is a landscape shaped by rain water dissolving the limestone, giving the surface a rugged shape, and the formation of land forms such as shafts, tunnels and caves.  The depressions produced by solution (weathering, i.e. breakdown of rocks, of limestone by acidic rainwater) in the Upper Coralline Limestone are filled with soil.

The soil in the Upper Coralline Limestone is reddish, and is called Terra Rossa. Biological activity within the soil accelerates the weathering of the limestone. The reddish tinge of the soil and rocks is due to relatively high content of iron oxide.

Coastal erosion (wearing down of material and its transport) and/or gravitational processes, chemical weathering and rock spreading play their part in the geomorphology of the Park. Fissures (fractures or cracks) play an important role in the instability of the limestone cap rock, favouring processes of detachment and the subsequent displacement of the rock boulders. Where fissures occur, soil accumulate and vegetation grows, further contributing to the widening of the fissure. The weathering of the softer underlying rocks further destabilises the cliff face, resulting in the eventual detaching of blocks of rock, and sliding down towards the shoreline.

Landforms that have been affected by the action of running water (fluvial landforms) in the Park are those that have been created by deposition of sediments and those created by erosion. Such landforms include V-shaped small dry valleys in the Upper Coralline Limestone that are relicts of former pluvial (heavy rainfall) conditions and groundwater erosion. Today these valleys are currently converted to agricultural land. Other fluvial landforms are large valley beds and cones (accumulation of sediments shaped like a section of a shallow cone) consisting of Quaternary sediments transported and deposited through the action of water as well as gravitational processes. In Majjistral Park there are also areas showing extensive erosion by wind and water (Badlands). This Badland topography can be seen at coastal steep Blue Clay slopes that are exposed to the action of water, resulting not only to erosion processes but also to instability.

Karstification is well-represented in the area. The Upper Coralline Limestone is very sensible to the dissolution action by rainwater, the slightly acidic water dissolving the calcium carbonate found within the limestone throughout the ages.  This Karstification is widely seen in the surface topography of plateaus showing irregular and rugged shapes. Dissolution of limestone can also create caves, where the roof collapses down causing subsidence at the surface. Two such dissolution subsidence landforms in the Upper Coralline Limestone occur in the Park.

Humans have throughout time significantly shaped the terrain of the Park through agricultural, recreational and touristic activities. There are fields, inland and coastal, some of which are bordered by dry stone walls (rubble walls), some abandoned and others in use. Other human history include archways made from stone, cart-ruts, corbelled stone-huts, and remains of British military architecture.

Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park is a landscape rich in geomorphology. Perhaps the most significant landforms within the Park are landslides located at the coast and favoured by the overlying of the Upper Coralline Limestone above the Blue Clay. These landforms are the result of key processes that provide a comprehensive understanding of the geomorphological evolution of rocky-coastal areas. Other geomorphological features, as we have already seen, include landslides (lateral spreads, block slides and rockfalls), dissolution subsidence structures, areas characterised by dissolution surfaces, dry valleys and badlands. Il-Majjistral Park is truly an important area not only in its rich natural heritage but also in its geomorphological features. A deeper understanding of such processes should lead to a greater appreciation of the Park by the general public.