Gunfire at the break of dawn

Patrick Cooke joined the Birdlife Raptor Camp last Thursday and Friday at 5 a.m. in an attempt to discover the reality behind the headlines.

A marsh harrier soared from its roosting site in the cold light of last Friday's thundery dawn and glided close to Luqa Airport in search of thermals to take it onwards to Africa. Six cracks of a shotgun later and its journey was over, as it dropped gracelessly from the sky into a private area.

"It's shot... they shot it," said a weary Tolga Temuge, Birdlife Malta's executive director.

The Sunday Times witnessed the shooting of the protected bird at 6.53 a.m. from an olive grove in Has-Saptan, adjacent to the International Airport. It was the first raptor seen that morning and it was shot within a minute of coming into view. The shooting was recorded on video camera.

After a police report was filed, two hunters were heard speaking into walkie-talkies on the other side of the wall 10 metres away.

The gate leading to the private area then opened and two cars drove past. Their licence plates were noted to be passed to police as evidence.

This was the second morning that The Sunday Times had joined Birdlife Malta's Raptor Camp - there was no sighting of illegal shooting on the first day - which observes thousands of protected birds passing through Malta towards Africa on the Central Mediterranean migration route.

International volunteers join the Raptor Camp or the German-based Committee Against Bird Slaughter's (CABS) 'Operation Safe Haven' at their own expense to monitor the migration and deter illegal hunting. Some of them return to Malta regularly, but not for positive reasons.

Briton James Baker was part of the monitoring team which this newspaper joined at Bahrija last Thursday morning. A keen birdwatcher, he has been to Malta four times in the last two years.

"Since I found out about the hunting situation in Malta, I just don't feel I can go anywhere else. Malta is beautiful, but coming here is definitely a bittersweet experience," he said.

Birdlife Malta conservation manager Andre Raine, who was in charge of the monitoring team at Bahrija, wholeheartedly welcomed the Federation for Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists (FKNK) offer to pay for extra police to accompany any individual or group from CABS or the Raptor Camp on the outings they undertake.

"It would save us the trouble of trying to contact the police and waiting around for them every time we observe illegal activity," he said.

FKNK president Lino Farrugia repeated this offer when contacted yesterday. He also said the FKNK supports Birdlife Malta's proposals for a Wildlife Crime Unit to deal fairly and effectively with reports of illegal hunting.

"It's not about one bird at Has-Saptan; we are against the killing of all protected birds and we welcome all efforts to help the police do their job," he said.

While last Friday's monitoring effort at Has-Saptan was covert, the previous day's effort at Bahrija was a show of force. Reports that two storks had nested close to the water, as well 100 marsh harriers in the reeds, meant that Dr Raine's small team was joined in the area by three CABS teams.

"Our presence here acts as a strong deterrent," Dr Raine said, the constant call of a nearby illegal quail lure audible in the background. "Most law-abiding hunters have no problem with us."

A steady stream of hunters arrived in vehicles even before first light and shots began ringing out across the area. "What are they shooting at if there are insufficient quail and turtle dove in autumn?" Dr Raine asked, referring to the argument for continued spring hunting.

Reports of illegal hunting elsewhere on the island were relayed via telephone. Just after 7 a.m., a marsh harrier was reported shot in Pembroke, closely followed by reports of a falcon shot at Laferla Cross. Both incidents were reported to the police.

Although the Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) department has few patrol cars, two arrived in Bahrija that morning because of the presence of the storks. The ALE's lack of resources remains an obstacle in efforts to curb illegal hunting, according to members of the Raptor Camp.

By the end of that morning's session, Dr Raine, an ornithologist, had identified eight raptors with probable gunshot wounds. The Sunday Times was shown all of these birds through binoculars.