Hundreds of protected bird of prey were shot by Maltese hunters in the course of only a few hours, the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), said in a statement. It said it will be asking the government to immediately ban hunting until raptor migration is over.

CABS is currently conducting bird migration monitoring operations on Malta with a team of 24 mostly German activists. It said that with a strong oncoming wind over the Mediterranean, more than 1,000 harriers, honey buzzards and falcons reached the Maltese islands yesterday afternoon to rest before continuing their journey to Africa.

Near Rabat a CABS team observed hunters opening fire at a group of marsh harriers yesterday evening, at least two of which were hit and fell to the ground. Subsequently the team filmed the hunter picking up the birds and taking to his heels. Previously hunters near the Blue Grotto had literally torn a Kestrel to pieces with six shots before the eyes of the CABS observers. Later at 11 p.m., at a harrier roost south of Xemxija, team members witnessed a group of hunters firing a number of shots and subsequently searching the area with the use of headlamps and torches. At Buskett, an important roost area, observers recorded the arrival of at least 500 Honey Buzzards, 200 Marsh Harriers, some 90 Hobbys as well as dozens of other birds including Osprey, Kestrel and Lesser Kestrel.

Thanks to the presence of numerous police officers and ornithologists the situation remained relatively quiet.

"Sadly this proved to be the calm before the storm" said CABS general secretary Alexander Heyd.

"his morning, on the edge of the FKNK game reserve near Mizieb, where some 120 Marsh Harriers had gone to roost the previous evening there was a real shooting match, involving some 40 hunters," CABS said.

"This began shortly after 5:30 a.m. As soon as a raptor took to the air it was shot at."

"We counted at least 150 shots and saw at least six birds fall to the ground. A further 15 birds were hit but continued their flight," Mr Heyd said.

Another team were deployed to the south of the Fiddien Reservoir where 20-30 Marsh Harriers landed at dusk. Despite the presence of CABS birds leaving the roost came under fire from all sides.

"I was amazed at the audacity and brutality with which the flock was almost completely wiped out," bird guard Shai Agmon said.

CABS also reported that two shot and injured Honey Buzzards were delivered to the International Animal Rescue rehabilitation centre, with whom the German conservationists work hand in hand, during the past 18 hours. Their chances of recovery were slight.

"These observations are only the tip of the iceberg. We estimate that more than a hundred protected birds, some of them extremely rare species, have been killed yesterday and today," David Conlin, a CABS member from Wales said.

Mr Heyd said that the continuing assertions by the hunting federation FKNK that the poachers are a handful of black sheep has been empty words all along.

"Our data lead us to a completely different conclusion, namely that the majority of hunters participate in illegal hunting."

CABS said that it would be asking the government to put an immediate ban on hunting this season until raptor migration was over. The government should also consider declaring the FKNK wooded game reserve at Mizieb, and other important roost places, as restricted areas for hunters and subsequently designated bird protection areas.

A submission to the Environment Ministry, as well as a report on illegal hunting for the Environment Directorate of the European Commission, was being prepared, CABS said.