André Raine calculated the density of hunters and trappers in Malta at 47 per square kilometres, and inferred this is proof enough that birds are plentiful (January 30). This is strange logic, because inversely a Birdlife Malta membership of only 3,000 would prove exactly the opposite, and the relative smallness of Birdlife membership could be interpreted as meaning few birds to watch.
Dr Raine blames the lack of birds to watch upon the number of hunters, however out of the 316 square kilometres of the Maltese islands, only 180 are shared between the hunters and the birdwatchers, the remaining 136 are definitely out of bounds for hunters. The latter include the whole island of Comino, a hunting-free island, separated from the mainland by a few kilometres of open sea. If, according to Dr Raine, birds are so plentiful, why are birdwatchers not flocking in droves to Comino or to the hunting free zones in our islands? Why is Birdlife membership more or less static? If Malta were indeed a central migration flyway, why are we not inundated with birds and birdwatchers as can be witnessed on other bird flyways where hunting is also very popular?
The answer is quite simple. Malta never was, is not and never can be a main migratory fly-path for birds. All studies on European bird-migration by independent bird-scientists prove that fact. Birdlife's dream of making Malta a potential birdwatchers' paradise is just that, a dream. Birdlife's Spring Watch and Raptor Camps are not intended for bird watchers to watch some birding phenomenon, but only for monitoring hunting activity by the usual few anti-hunting extremists who, according to their own website "need no ornithological experience".
The 2008 and 2009 spring migration seasons were hunting-free. Yet, Birdlife did not use these two opportunities to promote bird-watching tours. They were more concerned with "freeing 80 per cent of the countryside from occupation by hunters" when hunters could not hunt. This coming spring, Birdlife's "bird-watching tourism" is aimed, as in other years, at recruiting anyone showing "enthusiasm and motivation to fight against illegal spring hunting". Birdlife does so despite the fact that Maltese spring hunting under derogation is legal, according to a ruling of the European Court of Justice. Advertising a crash course "twice during the duration of the camp" in bird ID skills on their call for applicants, Birdlife concentrate on recruiting anyone, even those who cannot tell a sparrow from an eagle as long as they harbour a hatred for hunting.
Dr Raine might be worried about the number of hunters and trappers in these islands since birds are definitely not. Through his own studies and reports he tries desperately to depict Malta as a Mecca for migration. His worst worry is that each and every one of the 20,000 that practise these pastimes are the only people who can unequivocally state that it is not true that birds are abundant in Malta. The fact that birdwatchers choose important migratory areas and have always given Malta a miss confirms it. These would obviously prefer spending their time watching birds and leave anti-hunting battles to the fanatics.