Absence of birds shows people were misinformed about hunting - FKNK

Alex Ellul

Jul 30th 2008, 22:31

@RAY BAJADA & mALCOLM SIAD I didnt say one falcon, but 'at least one falcon" .

malcolm said

Jul 30th 2008, 19:14

@Alex Ellul....
Whats YOUR serious argument??? Without a proof your argument isa BLA BLA BLA. I can say that 2 or 100 peregrines remained here this summer but without a proof its all BLA BLA BLA again. The only birds that remained in cliffs this summer to breed where the blue rock thrush(merill), shearwaters(Cief) and herring gulls, as they have done for hundreds of years, even when hunting took place in spring. I say again..... what will the peregrine eat from the cliffs here in malta????? Maybe a racing pigeon worth a couple of hundred euros??!!!

Alex Ellul

Jul 30th 2008, 16:55

@ray bajada: Where's your serious argument? I assure you that at least one Peregrine Falcon has made his stay in Malta during this Summer, however I will not even tell you whereabouts it is, lest it gets blessed by lead.

Ray Bajada

Jul 29th 2008, 21:58

@Daphne Caruana Galizia
Seems there have been many golden orioles in your garden this spring!
May I ask you how many of them remained in your garden to breed?
I'm sure you have done eveything possible to let them feel welcome and at ease!

Andrew Gatt

Jul 29th 2008, 16:31

@C Mallia....here you are! Please report the UK to the EU. They shoot magpies, crows, woodpigeon, gulls, jays, Canada geese, rooks etc 24/7, 365 days a year. They DEROGATE from the Birds Directive on the grounds these species are pests (and rake in Stg 100,000's from shooting holidays!). Go on then!! Do copy us in, will you?

Meanwhile, tiny Malta, with NO resident game birds, simply wants a derogation for 2 prolific game bird species in Spring - quail and turtle dove - since we have no viable alternative. Incidentally, this is within the scope of the Birds Directive both as a principle and in terms of the % of the bird population taken.

And finally, all you antis, please keep legal HUNTING and illegal POACHING seperate. They are not the same thing and are not practiced by the same people.

malcolm said

Jul 29th 2008, 15:30

@Daphne
You are saying that this is false but with all the respect I think that you are false. Sometime ago in another comment to another article you said that you never saw a turtle dove flying!!!!! cos of hunters you said, and you live in the countryside for god's sake!!
And another point you mentioned back then is that you found many robins shot in your garden, come on and grow up!! I dont even imagine hunters shooting at a robin!!
As I said that time, I repeat.... I work in a factory limits of kirkop and I saw 3 turtle doves and a pair of collared doves last april just in the walk from the parking to the gate!!! So how can anybody believe you that you never saw one!
Regards,
Malcolm.

C Mallia

Jul 29th 2008, 12:07

@G Grech

If you find any EU region that legally allows spring hunting, please let me know so that, it can be reported to the EU Commission. Let me say it again: The bird directive makes it illegal to hunt in spring, if an alternative exists. How do you imagine the commission had the right to stop Malta last spring???

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Jul 29th 2008, 08:36

This is absolutely false. I have lived in the countryside for 17 years, and this was the first spring that we had golden orioles in our garden every day. When I first heard their call it came as a total surprise because I had never heard it before. It was also the first spring when being in the garden was like being in an aviary, the sound of birds was so loud. The previous 16 springs had been nothing but a cacophony of gun-shot from 5am to 9pm. The noise frightened off even the simplest, most common birds. The Hunters Association is going to continue campaigning for spring hunting. It forgets that it is in a minority, that its members are a public nuisance, and that the rest of us has rights too.

mark sultana

Jul 29th 2008, 07:31

The less birds we have the more we need to take care of them and abolish hunting of any species. It seems FKNK just shot themselves in the foot here.

Dion Borg

Jul 29th 2008, 00:16

Mark Mifsud Bonnici,
The problem with hunting that hunters seem adamant to ignore, is that the effects of hunting overflow beyond the confines of one’s ‘property’.

Birds - They are not hunters’ property, they may fly over their property intending to fly to other places, where they are surely more appreciated by many others, alive, rather than at a taxidermist or in one individual’s stomach.

Soil – what is left of it surely benefits from less lead pellets showered on it

Countryside – thankfully hunters do not legally own all the countryside, thus any pseudo ‘rational unbiased’ suggestion to stick to country roads is respectfully flawed.

Safety – anyone suggesting that it is anywhere safe or peacefully, to stroll along the PUBLIC countryside, whilst hunters are on a shooting vocation from (not simply within) their PRIVATE plots – becomes the quintessence of hijacking and egoism.

Seasonality – and then to expect as a divine right to that hunters continue ruling the countryside even in the blossoming Spring, whilst everyone else is tolerated just on Sunday afternoon, proves amply the twisted logic some are gifted with!

G.Grech

Jul 29th 2008, 00:07

@ C. Mallia

Please inform yourself before commenting. There are several EU countries that have an all year round open season..the difference is that they call the shot birds as pests.

@ Jason Borg

Ahh that's the reason why I haven't seen or heard any breeding birds yet...because I always go roaming the countryside in the afternoon...sorry for that!

@ Martin Galea Degiovanni

I agree with you...now the countryside is full of amazing birds. I have also seen a migrating (or possibly a breeding) Lutino Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) yesterday while swimming at Ghadira Bay.

carmel james

Jul 28th 2008, 23:12

@MMB
hunters do not roam around on other peoples property? you're joking.

stick to the country roads for country walks during the hunting season? you're joking.

if you have your own land for hunting ,fine. But dont defend the defenceless.

as for the absence of birds, the only time when the hunters can really say that no birds can survive here is when all shotguns are collected once and forever. Which will never happen.

Last spring sporadic hunting was in evidence throughout the islands, even though it was banned. Its a well known secret.

MARK MIFSUD BONNICI

Jul 28th 2008, 21:30

@DionBorg

You state that the "hunting fraternity are oblivious of their egoistic hijacking of the islands' countryside.

For your information thunters hunt on their privately owned land, leased private property or Government land entrusted to the shooting organizations . Hunters do not roam around on other peoples property as you would like to do in your country walks.

if you are so interested in country walks why not stick to the country roads, the designated country walks or better still invest in your own property to enjoy your pastime as most hunters have done. The majority of the rational unbiased public all do so what makes you any different.?

Your statement only shows your intention of wanting to hijack other peoples property .Or rather the hunter's property.

Martin Galea De Giovanni

Jul 28th 2008, 21:03

... interesting logic by FKNK - This is like saying, lets cut all the trees in buskett and in a few months time blame the trees for not growing fast enough.

Anyway, FKNK's observations are not so correct in the first place. For the first time ever I've seen various birds of prey hovering over Valletta, including two "hobbies" on different days. not to mention the other amazing birds seen in the countryside.

@G.Grech - yes assuming that Jason Borg sits in front of his PC all day long, he now stands a better chance of seeing some bird of prey by merely sticking his head out of the window :)

Jason Borg

Jul 28th 2008, 20:44

@G. Grech - kindly note that there are 2 different Jasons commenting on this article. And secondly, you should know that when the temperatures are very high, birds stop singing and stop being active. That is why FKNK decided to hold the Press Conference in the afternoon - to try to win some credibility for their baseless arguments.

C Mallia

Jul 28th 2008, 20:33

Malta must respect the bird directive like all the other EU states. None of the other EU states have legal spring hunting. This seems to be hard for the FKNK to swallow and continue to insist with unsubstantiated claims of no breeding birds. If anything, if this is the case, then all the more Malta's wildlife must be protected further.

Is not there a pending court case on about this whole issue??? It seems that FKNK does not want to wait for its decision, let alone respect it. This is not about hunting abolition as otherwise all other EU states will be given this label too, as an alternative exists.

David Agius (not the M.P.)

Jul 28th 2008, 20:13

Did anyone remove the signs out in the sea which advised the birds to stay away from Malta?

harry borda

Jul 28th 2008, 20:04

Come on, why don't the below correspondents admit they wish to abolish hunting just so as to have it their way. I garantee that even if there was no hunting going on for 20 years, there will not be any birds around just the same as today. As if birds are going to breed here!!!!!!!!!!!!

G.Grech

Jul 28th 2008, 19:35

@ Jason Borg

What does the heat of summer have to do with the breeding birds in Malta. Birdlife have been stating for a very long time that Malta is suitable for breeding and if that was the truth, EVEN in the hottest of days, birds breeding in MAlta would still be HERE, because if you are just a little bit informed about the subject, bird migaration southwards begins in late August/ early September. But it is crystal clear that you are just one of those sitting in front of a pc and have no idea of what you are talking about. And what about some concrete proof of the NET increase in breeding species.....hello....do you know that your second comment defeats your first argument ?!?!

Adrian Allain

Jul 28th 2008, 19:14

It takes time for birds to recover from years of abuse.
The Passenger Pigeon in North America never did and is extinct. (Do an Internet search if you don't know the story)

Dion Borg

Jul 28th 2008, 18:51

It is pretty obvious - especially considering hunters' track record - that the birds' existence and numbers is not boosted by hunting.
Moreover, in Spring the general public and tourists had the opportunity to (more or less)peacefully appreciate the countryside - something that had been denied for years on end.
It is peculiar how the hunting fraternity are oblivious of their egoistic hijacking of the islands' countryside.

Richard Cachia Zammit

Jul 28th 2008, 18:42

Not shooting migrating birds in spring means giving the birds the chance to reproduce and that's what sustainable hunting is all about and I'm sure that the members of FACE are aware of it as FACE embraces sustainable hunting. Banning shooting of migratory birds this spring was already a success story even though many poachers persisted to break the law. Less birds were shot this spring and that means more birds managed to reach their breeding grounds, be it in Malta or anywhere else in Europe.

Neville Bezzina

Jul 28th 2008, 18:13

Do the birds know that hunting in spring has stopped?

jason borg

Jul 28th 2008, 17:49

Maybe it's the net result of the activities of the trigger happy fraternity over all the years!..

.Lino you don't judge the passage of birds by referring to that seen in one year..

The fact that there was a net increase in breeding species apart from new breeding species is already indicative that hunting had a toll on breeding birds....

Jason Borg

Jul 28th 2008, 17:38

Whom are these persons trying to mislead? A press conference held in the peak of summer and when the heat of the day is at its highest to show that there are no birds in Malta. Why didn't they hold the same press conference in the appropriate season and time?

Michael Groves

Jul 28th 2008, 17:32

Even more reason for the ban to stay surely.Let us enjoy the little wild life we have.

Keith Vella

Jul 28th 2008, 17:07

Oh, what mighty argumentative logic we have here!