Bird ringing in Malta

We refer to the letter by Franz Bairlein, president of EURING (The Sunday Times, February 7) expressing his concern over bird-ringing in Malta by the hunters and trappers' federation (FKNK).

Firstly, in November 2008, when the FKNK ringed wild finches caught by their member-trappers, bird-trapping was a legal activity. There is nothing in Maltese law that prevents someone from releasing a caged bird, with or without first marking it by attaching a ring to it. That explains why "the FKNK walked out of court without charge".

However, since the case may have been appealed, and since Prof. Bairlein keeps track of what happens in Malta, his letter could be interpreted as written with a view to influence the course of any such appeal.

Secondly, it is clear that bird-ringing, irrespective of who does it, presupposes the trapping of bird: to ring a bird, one first has to trap it.

Therefore, the FKNK's lobbying to start a separate ringing programme in Malta is not, as Prof. Bairlein put it, an "ill-disguised" excuse to continue bird trapping.

If Prof. Bairlein really would like to "address these issues as president of EURING", may we suggest that he contact the FKNK to discuss how Maltese trappers can assist his organisation in promoting research on the seven finch species that commonly migrate over Malta.

Prof. Bairlein is correct in saying that the FKNK is lobbying the authorities to start a second bird ringing scheme in Malta. The reason is that Birdlife Malta not only wants to retain its monopoly on the 'national' ringing scheme, through the odd 15 individuals who are in possession of a bird-ringing licence, but are also carrying out a campaign against bird-trapping, because the government may derogate from the Birds Directive to allow finch-trapping.

Prof. Bairlein declares that "there is absolutely no operational or scientific need for a further ringing scheme, especially in a country as small as Malta". The foremost authority in the EU comments about Malta's diminutive size, implying its apparent lack of importance for bird-migration. The professor thinks that our country is so small, there is no need to do more. And yet, there is.

According to its own records, only a tiny proportion of the birds ringed by Birdlife are finches. This is not a criticism of Birdlife's methods.

But it is a fact that finch-trapping requires a selective method of capturing which Maltese trappers have perfected.

Rather than weakening the "current high standard of bird-ringing in Malta", a further scheme run by the FKNK, and organised in collaboration with Prof. Bairlein, should strengthen his organisation's contribution to our knowledge of population dynamics and migratory patterns of the seven finch species concerned.

We augur that Prof. Bairlein will see beyond the negative picture of Maltese trapping, re-consider his position, and at least come on a short fact-finding mission to see the possibilities for himself.