The government has imposed a 3 p.m. curfew on hunters between September 15 and 30, as it announced the dates of the open season for hunting and trapping.
The measure was taken because the majority of birds of prey migrate in the afternoon during that period. It was criticised by both hunters and Birdlife. Hunters' federation secretary Lino Farrugia said the time limit was unnecessary as those who wanted to hunt birds of prey could shoot them in the morning after they have roosted in Malta.
On the other hand, Birdlife director Tolga Temuge said the government should have banned hunting in the afternoons throughout September.
"The move is positive but not enough," he said.
As The Times reported on August 10, the hunting and finch trapping seasons will be the same as they were last year: Hunting of birds from land will be allowed between September 1 and January 31, hunting from seacraft between October 1 and January 31, while trapping for finches will be allowed between October 1 and January 31.
The trapping of turtle dove and quail will be allowed between September 1 and January 31 and it will also be possible to trap song thrush and golden plover between October 20 and January 10.
The government urged hunters to observe the law and reminded them that penalties included fines of up to Lm6,000 and the revocation of their hunting licence.
The government reserved the right to take further action if "illegalities" take place, hinting at a repeat of last May's premature closure of the hunting season following the shooting of protected honey buzzards.
Environment Minister George Pullicino has said that only organisations that present proposals for self regulation approved by the government would be able to endorse hunters' and trappers' game bag records, without which a hunter would not be given a licence. Mr Farrugia said the dates announced by the government were those suggested by the Ornis committee but the curtailment of hunting in the afternoons showed that the government "was led by Birdlife".
He said it was positive that the trapping of song thrush, quail, turtle dove and golden plover was again allowed and expressed surprise at the exclusion of other thrushes and lapwing when they can be trapped in other EU countries.
He also expressed the hope that the regulations would be amended "to remove ambiguities".
Mr Temuge said the governmant was backtracking by allowing the trapping of four species in autumn in addition to finches.
"I think this will lead the European Commission to open infringement procedures. There is no justification for allowing the trapping of these species under Article 9 and I expect Malta to be taken to court over trapping of these four species.
"The ongoing infringement procedures include the trapping of the four species. Last year they outlawed it, this year they allowed it again. The Commission will simply include this in the infringement produres," Mr Temuge said.
Asked about the curtailment of hunting in the afternoon, Mr Temuge said: "It's a step in the right direction as a lot of birds of prey can be saved if hunters observe the laws. But we can't understand why hunting has not been banned in all September afternoons". In a separate move, the International Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) said it would hold a bird protection camp in Malta and Gozo in mid-September. CABS is a European-wide active organisation with its head office in Germany. It was founded in 1975 and has some 11,000 members and sponsors in almost all European states.
The Malta camp will include 22 experienced campaigners from Germany, Italy and the UK with the aim of collecting data on bird migration over the islands and the influence of illegal hunting on different bird species.
The organisation and implementation of the camp will be made in close cooperation with Nature Trust (Malta) and the Maltese section of International Animal Rescue.
The main aim of the operation is the deterrence of potential law-breakers by a round-the-clock presence of the teams in the main hunting "hotspots" and on those stretches of coast important for bird migration, CABS spokesman Heinz Schwarze said.
"The task of the campaign teams on the ground will be that of precise recording of the migration of selected bird species. This will also incorporate the reporting by telephone of instances of illegal hunting to the operational base. In emergency cases, the operational base will contact the police and provide them with all relevant and necessary information.
"We are only present to observe, record and report; everything else is a matter for the police," Mr Schwarze said, adding that CABS had the full support of the police.
"Volunteer observers will operate in the open and, with their video cameras and binoculars, will easily be recognisable. Deterrence through an open and wide-scale presence is more important to us than concealed observation. But the occasional use of concealed cameras in the bird protection operation cannot be completely ruled out," he said.
CABS said similar operations in the Gulf of Naples and in Lombardy had provided them with plenty of useful experience in this area.
"Those who are afraid of being filmed, and are later taken to court, should refrain from shooting at protected birds," Mr Schwarze said. "This maxim, adopted and put into practice over the past 10 years in Italy by the permanent presence of bird protection teams and game wardens, has proved successful in reducing the scale of illegal hunting there to a noticeable extent.
"All of the participants in the Malta camp are volunteers; the majority of them are field biologists, bird ringers or professional conservationists. A daily summary of events will be available through an internet blog in English and German at www.komitee.de," he said.