Hunting and tradition (1)

Much has been written by a few writers lately to justify hunting in spring. Opinions have been given and much ink wasted. We have heard anything from pleas of tradition to outright untruths. Some examples: Honey buzzards are pests, we import birds from the UK, the RSPB is selling stuffed birds on their website, turtle doves are not in decline, etc.

First of all, as all traditions go, some were common a hundred years ago, such as cannibalism and head hunting, but these too have been made obsolete. Whereas 50 years ago trapping and hunting of turtle doves was important as few homes had fridges; the captured or shot birds were eaten either that day or kept for Sunday broth. Today, thank God, meat is available all year round!

The honey buzzard is one of the rarest of birds of prey in the UK with a small population not exceeding 25 pairs in England. For anyone who would be foolish enough to shoot one (and no reason exists as they feed mostly on wasps and wild bees in forests) the fine would put him back thousands of pounds. The few pairs in England are a delight to the few English who manage to see one. The UK is going through a healthy period for raptors at the moment as many species are making a comeback from stringent legislation and protection. Species like red kite, peregrine, marsh and hen harrier, goshawk, osprey and white tailed eagle are all now breeding regularly again, while sparrow hawks and kestrels are all back to the normal numbers.

Regarding imported birds from the UK, all finches in the UK must be raised in captivity, the young must be closed rung at birth to make sure that the birds are from captive programmes and all wild finches are strictly protected. Furthermore the EU has now banned the importation of all wild caught birds into the EU from any country, including parrots.

Turtle doves are still quite common in Eastern European countries but whoever wrote about this should have also quoted that the bird is in serious decline in Western Europe, "from excessive hunting in the Mediterranean countries". I think Malta is in the Mediterranean!

I checked the stuffed birds on the RSPB site and found that they were little toy birds made from cloth material which called when pressed on the back. These are also sold at Ghadira Bird Reserve!

The most important thing that matters though is that Malta, like it or not, is now in the EU, and whether we like it or not, the 1979 Bird Directive must be followed. I enjoyed reading many of the letters though, as with a shortened hunting season, many of these writers are now shooting off their mouths, instead of their guns! They should now start thinking of finding a more useful pastime in spring as it seems their spring shooting days are numbered.