BirdLife report shooting of rare bird of prey

A specimen of one of the rarest birds of prey in Europe, a pallid harrier, was shot on Easter Sunday, according to BirdLife Malta.

There are only between five and 51 breeding pairs of the species in Europe, excluding Russian populations.

The conservation group said it did not recover the bird but had footage of it flying with damage to its wing and a broken, dangling leg.

The bird was trying to roost in fields adjacent to Għadira.

It is classified as a Species of Conservation Concern. It is also listed as Near Threatened under the Global Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

This was the third shot pallid harrier recorded since 2007, BirdLife said.

In a separate incident on Easter Sunday in Marsalforn valley, BirdLife said it filmed a young hunter sneaking up on a flock of black-winged stilts resting near the main road from Victoria to Marsalforn as a constant stream of traffic passed behind him. He then fired three shots at the birds before running back under the road and into a tunnel, disappearing from view, Birdlife said, adding it was in touch with the police in Victoria and would be handing over the footage. No birds were hit.

Black-winged stilts are wading birds classified as a protected species under Annex 1 of the Birds Directive but are regularly targeted illegally in Malta, according to Birdlife Malta.

BirdLife insisted that, while illegal hunting continued unabated, it would be extremely irresponsible of the authorities to consider opening another spring hunting season as this would only work in favour of poachers.

The hunters federation, which is lobbying for the spring hunting season to be opened, recently reiterated its call for the police to be strengthened so they could deal better with illegal hunting. They also called for poachers to be named and shamed. They were reacting to a similar incident reported by BirdLife.