Hunters 'greet' slow-flying raptors

There was a bloodfest in the skies above Malta yesterday afternoon as an uncommonly heavy passage of protected birds of prey met a stream of hunters' lead pellets.

Hunters were heard and sighted by bird watchers in several areas including Buskett, San Pawl tat-Targa, Mgarr, Mtarfa, Wardija and Bidnija, Mizieb and Maghtab, as well as in the south.

The sound of single gunshots with lengthy pauses in between, in contrast to the quick boom-boom heard when small birds are hunted, clearly indicated the hunters were aiming at the slow-flying raptors, one bird watcher said.

Justin Vassallo, of BirdLife Malta, said his initial estimate was of some 2,000 birds of prey in yesterday's passage, when the normal figure is of about 3,000 in a whole year.

Harriers, small falcons and mainly honey buzzards were the species seen during their migration from Africa to their breeding grounds in Europe. The weather conditions over this part of the Mediterranean forced them to divert to Malta.

And come down they did, dead or alive. At least 100 honey buzzards were seen shot in Buskett and another 60 in Mosta, according to Mr Vassallo, who called it a "huge massacre". Another 30 birds found injured in other areas, according to further reports.

"It was a disaster," another bird watcher lamented. "The police administrative law enforcement unit can't cope with this. They should have sent out the army.

"It's ironic that we're seeing this kind of slaughter on the eve of Malta's entry into the EU," the same bird watcher added.

Fines for killing birds of prey could reach Lm2,000. Just last month, a hunter was fined Lm200 for shooting a honey buzzard in May 2002, having been charged with eight other hunters following a widespread massacre of honey buzzards.