Shearwater chicks from Malta tracked off Greece

D.Caruana

Jul 1st 2009, 09:25

@ T.Mifsud.

Yes I am a legal hunter and I am proud of that.
No I am not shooting down the article. I am all for conservation and against all illegal hunting.
What angers me however, is that Birdlife Malta and co design articles and stories that depict all hunters as poachers. This happens in many ways. The title and certain words in the text are what one should pay attention to. Nice stories like this one are published to attract people's symapthy in preparation for the next article which will be in the lines of Yelkouan Shearwater shot dead etc etc...........

I strongly beleive that the only way forward here is that birdlife and the FKNK work hand in hand on certain issues and accept that some things are here to stay or not.
Extremism is WRONG no matter which side you're on.

Poachers are wrong as are abolishinists.

T Mifsud

Jul 1st 2009, 05:18

@D Caruana

OK you are a legal hunter but I referred to only our unscrupulous colleagues which you don't call hunters. "anyone that shoots a Yelkouan Shearwater can not be called a hunter".

So why shoot down the article which is doing something to protect against the poachers and those who, according to FKNK, give hunting a bad reputation? Also, so what?! If an article comes out highlighting poaching, instead of protecting your hobby by condemning poaching, why shoot down the article and relating yourself to poaching in the meantime? Wouldn't it be better for the 'legal' hunting community to eliminate poachers by continuous pressure?

I do not think it is a good idea for all the 'legal' hunters to join forces with the poachers and fire at will at every article that highlights protected species. Are you Konservazjonisti or what?

joyce grech

Jun 30th 2009, 18:16

Wow do they go so far,now what will happen to them when the wind-farms will start operating,anyway what happened to those ones that were tagged last year?

Johnny Xerri

Jun 30th 2009, 18:05

@ T Mifsud,

Sheawater chicks (&adults) have been there since hunting has been in Malta, and have been there long before birdlife (or MOS) was founded.

How come may I ask, if hunters kill everything in sight?

So they made it fine without birdlife & co., NOW in 2009 they need birdlife?

Sounds like interfening busybodies, will pray & trive on their possible death just so that they can boost, 'if it weren't for birdlife & co., no shearwater would be present in Malta'

@ R Attard

Of course it no interesting news, for me its rubbish outdated news. Its like seeing the GDP or Deficit figures of 1824.

Having a 2 consecutive bans on hunting, and the only headlines are protected birds (which are illegal to catch no matter how many seasons are opened) raising a couple of broods. All the breeding for this year hardly accounts to 10 chicks from all the millions of migrating species.

It would have been news if a game bird which was hunted managed to raise at least 1 brood, due to the ban on hunting.

That way protecting them would have served for something.

Joe Camileri

Jun 30th 2009, 16:58

"state-of-the-art tags" with 1000000€ you'll have anything state of the art, even ones wage.

"GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH" Oh!! are they researching Dr Who's time machine. Any serious birdwatcher knows that these shearwaters visit Thassos island, Greece, every spring and winter.
The next news will be that they have travelled to Sardinia in Italy and Bonifacio in Corsica (as if we don't already know).
*** All that BL is doing is just RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL.***

D.Caruana

Jun 30th 2009, 16:56

Dear T.Mifsud.

If you are a regular reader here you may have noticed a certain trend - The one I was insinuating to. But then parhaps you may also conveniently not get the point.

Yes I like shooting and to shoot down your argument, anyone that shoots a Yelkouan Shearwater can not be called a hunter. These birds have bred on our islands for centuries - undisturbed. And will keep on doing so with or without any help. Unless we decide to build villas hanging by the cliffs were they breed!.

R. Attard

Jun 30th 2009, 16:48

To those people who think that they can kill anything they find on their way, this is not an interesting news. These are miracles of nature that happen everyday without anyone noticing them.

T Mifsud

Jun 30th 2009, 16:32

D Caruana, you really hit the nail on the head, right on target, and in your lingo ... BULLSEYE!

You know, this is really breaking news! When all those others have been shot at, at least we know that an effort is being done at protecting this protected species from trigger happy hunters.

Also you seem to forecast the future! Are you perhaps used to the pattern that such birds are shot and their luck runs out close to Malta, IF they make land at all?! Yes indeed you will get such news you forecast because your unscrupulous colleagues give a damn and perhaps want to prove you right!

I dont care whether my message gets shot at, or you try to shoot the messenger. You are anyway of retaliatory nature! READ at the article all of you. Where does it mention hunting? But you trigger happy folks either shoot the Shearwater or those trying to protect it! THAT'S YOUR exactly BUNCH!

joseph lia

Jun 30th 2009, 16:22

While these methods are indeed scientifically important and carried out throughout the civilized countries, it doesn't come as a surprise to see it 'breaking' news here in Malta!
Whilst other countries carry out these studies on a daily basis, these other countries also legally allow its citizens to practice their cultural pastimes as well.
Scientific tagging which costs millions of Euro is eradicating Maltese way of life, ruining Maltese culture and traditions. How convenient now that the trappers and hunters have been
'eliminated' from the equation. Tagging, misinterpretations, half truths....these will rake in the millions!

Edward Farrugia

Jun 30th 2009, 16:01

To greece, to crete and to albania. What about the others :-)

r sammut

Jun 30th 2009, 15:50

Well done. At a cost of 1,000,000 € something needs to be shown for the effort!

BLM does not need this to put Malta on any map! They already had Malta boldly mapped down earlier this year: in Hungary’s football match and on Italy’s Geo & Geo program among others!

D.Caruana

Jun 30th 2009, 15:36

Breaking news indeed.
Tomorrow we will read a statement by birdlife stating that one of them has been shot just off the coast of Mellieha on its return from Greece.
They will probably also show one of the satellite tags which they had conveniently pre stored.

We are used to it now guys......try something new!

Galea. L

Jun 30th 2009, 15:32

No wonder Birdlife doesn't answer how many funds they have received and what are their wages/salaries!!!!!!!!

Anthony Formosa

Jun 30th 2009, 15:02

"Not only is this ground-breaking research that is critical for protecting Malta's internationally important seabird populations, but it is also putting Malta firmly on the map for sea bird research worldwide." said Andre Raine, BirdLife Malta conservation manager.

Protect it from what?? it has been with us for many years and was healthy, or is it that the Shearwater is protecting someones interests!!!

M.Said

Jun 30th 2009, 14:53

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats a breaking news!!!!!!!!!!!
1,000,000 euros to birdlife to just a dozen tags last year and another few this year and just to hear the same news as last year!!!!
That a couple of shearwaters made it to greece and back!!!
Thats an easy million............

steven camilleri

Jun 30th 2009, 14:44

wow , what an amazing story , thank you for keeping us up yo date with the most interesting of stories......................:p