Passion migrates

Knowing that the end was near for hunting of birds in the breeding season, a small number of ex-hunters have thrown in the gun. They have redirected their passion by turning to falconry as an outlet while keeping in touch with nature.

With this year's spring hunting season closed for the first time hunters are complaining of psychological torture. Whole families suffer as the tension of uncertainty mounts and the only advice from the parish priest is to look for a new hobby.

Staying at home while the migration passes by, they admit to being nervous and off their food. They mutter to the four walls as their hunting dogs gaze up at them questioningly.

Hunters have a strong bond with their dogs and hate to disappoint them. The dogs enjoy flushing quail. They stand motionless while a dove flies in and determine the most likely drop spot for a quick retrieval.

You can feel the swish of feathers as EU Commission hawks circle on high. Maltese hunters are not the only prey.

The Commission has sent a final warning to Hungary this month over the taking of eggs in the wild, a tradition in breach of the Wild Birds Directive. Hungarian law is non-compliant with a hunting season which overlaps with the reproduction, rearing and migratory stages of the woodcock.

Malta has the highest number of hunters in Europe at an estimated 75 per square kilometre. Last year's rampant killing of protected birds brought the spring hunt for quail and turtle dove to an abrupt halt after only 10 days.

Men with guns could not be trusted to hold their fire when coveted showcase species such as herons and birds of prey were passing overhead. The 40 days spanning April and May when it was permitted to carry a gun for shooting at only two species proved too much. Protected birds listed in Annex I of the directive were still dropping out of the sky.

Two dozen police officers and 50 soldiers assigned to the task were unable to keep track of 15,000 hunters.

Last Sunday a team of ornithologists ran into a large group of hunters at Kunċizzjoni. At first the hunters shouted verbal abuse but a Maltese team member engaged them in discussion.

The hunters told the volunteers how upset they were by what they saw as indecisiveness on the part of the government over whether or not to open the spring hunting season. Some hunters have criticised their own federation for not organising a protest while others seem resigned to accepting that the spring closure may be permanent. Patrols against illegal hunting are in evidence but are not enough. Despite a visible presence and token arrests the countryside is riddled with the crack of rifle fire this spring.

Across Europe over two million quail are shot each year and nearly as many turtle doves. They may appear to gather in large numbers in certain areas but as a species their status is 'unfavourable'.

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter says 100 million wild birds lost to hunting across Europe each year are too many. It wants the list of birds that can be hunted to be cut down to more sustainable levels considering the threat from climate change and expansion of energy crops for bio-fuel which destroys habitats.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas replies that he is supporting the preparation of management plans for huntable species such as turtle dove and quail on the basis of monitoring reports from Birdlife International.

The short-toed eagle, formerly prized as a stuffed showcase trophy, can be seen alive at close quarters in a falconry opened up on the outskirts of Siġġiewi. Three out of a flock of these magnificent birds were shot down in 2006, with a crazy car chase ensuing to decimate the rest.

The permit for an already built falconry centre was sanctioned in view of its educational and touristic value. Injured birds arriving at the centre are nursed back to health and released to the wild. Some remain in captivity with performing birds flying freely.

Junko the vulture, with a taste for junk food, entertains schoolchildren along with an owl, a hawk and an eagle. The show mimics falconry which is the hunting of wild prey with birds. Some of the staff at the centre do practise falconry in their spare time, taking their birds out on the cliffs to hunt.

Falconry is covered by the Wild Birds' Directive which calls for wise use and ecologically balanced control. Culling of garigue-munching pests on the rabbit-infested island of Comino (a bird sanctuary) is a possibility if the planning authority issues a permit for trained birds of prey to hunt there.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority says the permitting procedure may be 'complex' since the regulations for bird sanctuaries and hunting of rabbits now appear to fall under separate ministries.