Illegal hunting persists despite poor migration

Illegal hunting continues to be the order of the day in the countryside as evidenced by regular reports reaching BirdLife Malta in recent weeks.

In spite of what is considered by most birdwatchers as a poor migration season, protected birds continue to fall victim to illegal hunting on a daily basis, including on Sunday afternoon when hunting is prohibited, the bird organisation said.

People walking on Sunday afternoon at L-Ahrax in Mellieha said a falcon was shot to smithereens in a veritable barrage. Other victims of illegal hunting are birds of prey like Marsh Harriers, and herons, including Purple Herons, Little Egrets and Night Herons. All these are strictly protected species.

Just over a week ago a Little Egret was shot near the church in Marsascala and only metres away from the school, ending lodged in its death throes in a tree.

Other birds falling victim are hoopoes, swifts, swallows and in one instance a hunter also vented his frustration on a breeding Short-toed Lark.

Bird migration has been unusually slow this spring with only a few good migration days. BirdLife fears the worst because from now to mid-May migration reaches a peak and it is not unknown for a massive influx of birds to occur suddenly.

BirdLife repeated its calls on the authorities to strengthen resources for law enforcement and claimed that not even temporary measures during the migration season have been assigned.

In Gozo, law enforcement has reverted to the situation some three years ago, when there was no Administrative Law Enforcement section in operation. Last year the police arraigned an alarming smaller number of hunters for breaches of the bird protection laws.