James A. Tyrrell, County Antrim, N. Ireland.
Silent bird songs
A lot has been written recently about the hunting issue in Malta and I would like to comment on this from a tourist's point of view.
One of the first things I noticed on my first ever trip to Gozo was that an alarm clock was totally unnecessary because as soon as dawn broke the shooting started.
The second thing I noticed was in stark contrast to the first and that was total silence when out in the countryside for a walk. I don't mean lack of traffic noise by the way but lack of bird song. When I'm in Gozo I always go to the Bellusa Café in Victoria at about 5.20 p.m. Joe brings me a Cisk and I listen to the birds settling in the trees opposite in the market square.
I live in N. Ireland and it's so nice to hear the birds singing in the countryside and along the shorefront. I find it really sad that Gozo has been robbed of this beautiful sound in order that hunters can enjoy their hobby. My uncle for many years was one of the best shots in N. Ireland and indeed on several occasions he was selected as captain of the N. Ireland team.
His hobby was clay pigeon shooting. My suggestion, therefore, is not that the shooters on Malta and Gozo give up their hobby but that they switch to clay pigeons instead. One thing I have noticed on my numerous trips to Gozo is the competitiveness between the various villages.
Wouldn't it be great if all the hunters from each village formed a clay pigeon club and organised competitions between the villages?
With the same thing taking place on Malta, the two winning teams could compete each year for the overall title.
Then, of course, there would be the possibility of putting together a national team to compete in international shoots.
So how about it guys, is this a valid suggestion or not? As you know the hunting fraternity is very much in the minority. Rather than fighting with the non-hunting majority why not come together in a true and very competitive sport that everyone can respect and support? Over time, hopefully, nature would take her course and Gozo would once again be enveloped in the beautiful sound of birds singing.
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David Camilleri
Apr 7th 2008, 03:26
Check this site below for some hunting,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8GGN73AhmM
Fabian Borg
Apr 6th 2008, 09:47
To All Foreigners and to all Maltese who might have decided to live abroad,
you are all writing from countries which would be a Maltese Hunters dream to hunt in,
1. N.Ireland - Beautiful for Duck and other species listed below.
2. UK (when these write) one can possibly hunt 365 (ALL YEAR).
3. Now U.S.A. - Home of the best hunts in the world. Just look at this on your PC or search YouTube USA DOVE HUNTING and the list is endless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlLCk0NmyzY&NR=1
Ans who says one cant listed to song birds in the Maltese countryside ? From September till January (Autumn/Winter) a period where there is an open hunting/trapping season one can hear Robins, Warblers, Starling and the Song Thrush giving off their melody. Summer is another story as it is too dry to hold on to any melodic song birds but Warblers and other local nesting birds give off sounds of their own. Maybe you were just not capable of distinguishing their sound.
Thanks to all..
David Camilleri
Apr 6th 2008, 01:41
Well said Mr. Sammut and your comments are true and to the point.
Here in NYC where traffic is on going 24/7 non stop in this concrete jungle last summer I counted in the backyard in one day 21 doves, 2 pairs of cardinals who are breeding in a nearby tree, dozens of house finches, sparrows and starlings visiting my bird feeder. Once on a snowy day a red hawk landed on the fire escape for about a minute. I was literally a meter away looking at the hawk from the window.
Now lets go to the front, on the doorstep last October an owl was catching mice for 6 days late at night before the owl continued migrating south it was and awesome sight.
Now that spring started every morning in this concrete jungle of NYC we wake up to birdsong coming from the cardinals and house finches that come to feed to from the birdfeeders.
This can be Malta as well; full of birdsong all year round if one provides water and food, rest assured! And hunting and trapping abolished!
Graham Crocker
Apr 6th 2008, 00:23
To all you, "British Hunt aswell bandwagon".
The British don't need tourism, We do.
Stick your shotguns where we can't see them.
Johann Cutajar
Apr 5th 2008, 19:45
Mr Tabone please note that the local government already applies such laws as to hunting of protected birds. Can assure you that criminal acts such as murdering, drug dealing, harassment, stealing, money laundering, etc., are taken less seriously than hunting a protected species - please note, I am not justifying any hunting of protected birds, but I think its a bit too far fetched.
Regarding birds at your doorstep.... you hardly get the postman at your doorstep in Malta let alone birds! You would get birds in England on your doorstep but perhaps your doorstep leads to some large front garden and a wooded, green park, however in Malta all you get is vehicles rushing past your doorstep, you would never get birds. Do not think birds love frequenting a heavily polluted habitat.
To all those who are still dreaming of having birds at their doorstep, please get out of your homes and pay a visit to Birdlife's natural reserves, beaches, Buskett, or public parks and I am sure you get a chance to meet some new wildlife....
Charles Sammut
Apr 5th 2008, 17:44
Mr Tyrrell comments had some valid points and the reply by Mr Cutajar shows that the only wildlife in Malta left is the pompous jackass. Mr Tyrrell had a good suggestion . But it will never work because the Maltese hunter would rather admire a stuffed bird in a showcase than watching it fly gracefully the way nature intended it to be.
Tony Caruana
Apr 5th 2008, 17:08
Dear Mr Tyrell you state that as dawn broke the shooting started and then you say there was total silence when you where walking in the coutryside, are you suggesting that the shooting was in the Villages ?
Those same birds you saw while drinking your beer ( a very Irish pastime i presume) are the same birds that are in the same countryside that you went for your walk. They only go to Victoria to roost ( to sleep if you do not understand ) and not for the Beer.
Mario Tabone
Apr 5th 2008, 15:33
I am Maltese but live in England. I totally agree with James Tyrrell. When I lived in Malta and every time I visit I realise how a minority of selfish fellow Maltese has deprived the rest of us over the years of enjoying the beauty of having wild life on our islands. This issue is quite simple to resolve. The goverment should make wildlife protected and make it illegal to have any sort of protected species in anyones possession except natural history museum etc. This should be law and should carry heavy sentences including confiscation of shotguns and shotgun licences. Knowing the Maltese mentality I would go as far as saying that breaching such laws would result in a prison sentence as well.
It is unbelievable that we cannot adopt the ways of other bird loving nations and instead of slaughtering birds for fun, we should have bird boxes and tables in gardens. By feeding the birds everyone would have song birds right at their doorstep and enjoy nature.
when it comes to the hobby of shooting, clay pigeons are ideal but if hunters want to shoot live birds , then they should be doing the same as in other countries.....and that is to organise proper shoots with particular species like pheasants,partridge and similar species that can be stocked and reared for this reason. At least the hunters and their families would get something out of their hobby and not just mindless and sensless slaughter of song birds.
I urge the new government to sort this out once and for all. Not to ignore the will of the majority that have stuck by them in the last election but to preserve what little we have got for the benefit of all. Five years pass very quickley and the people will remember. Please take heed.
D.Caruana
Apr 5th 2008, 13:26
Maybe Mr James A Tyrell should start this procedure in his own back yard in N.Ireland before suggesting it to us!!
Johann Cutajar
Apr 5th 2008, 13:03
Dear Mr. Tyrrell, when your country decides to quit hunting and turn on to clay pigeon we might consider that too! Oh come on!
Do you know that your country allows hunting on some 11 species of birds (gulls, crows, starlings, pigeons, starlings, and sparrows) all year round? Do you know that your country allows hunting on species of ducks and geese, plovers, curlews, woodcocks, partridge, grouse, pheasants, etc, during the Autumn season, apart from deer hunting?
You are fortunate enough to have a whole range of hunting species which mostly remains in your country all year long. In Malta the situation is totally different. We only get the chance to have a few birds flying over our islands during the Spring and Autumn migration seasons. Whether hunting occurs in Malta or not we will never get a variety of birds breeding on the islands. During both migration seasons there are other birds that do migrate together with those legally huntable birds, however nearly none do breed in Malta or remain on the islands for so long. Even though many believe that birds do not get the chance to stay on the islands because hunters just blow everything out of the skies, I can assure you that that is not the reason. Just to give you an example, during the past autumn migration seasons Birdlife were amazed with the thousands of wagtails roosting in some of the capital city's trees, however to date you would not get a chance to see any of these birds, just for the simple reason that these birds have migrated to their breeding grounds. Hunters would not even consider shooting such birds, first of all they are magnificent small birds and secondly the fines related to such bird shooting is so over the top that no hunter would even dare.
And just in case you get back to the islands during a closed hunting season and you are not a morning person, just think twice cause I'm sure the church bells would get you up just the same!