Bird watchers have been portraying “a picture of doom and gloom” when most hunters do not, in fact, shoot at protected birds, according to a hunters’ lobby group.
“We consider even one protected bird killed as being one too many, but equally condemn those who thrive on painting a picture of gloom and doom when the reality is quite the contrary,” the St Hubert Hunters Association said.
The association has distributed a video taken on Tuesday afternoon in the countryside around Burmarrad and Mosta. The spot, which is “often termed as a notorious area for hunting illegalities... offered a memorable scene of over 100 birds of prey and other migratory birds”.
It pointed out that many protected birds, including marsh and Montagu’s harriers, three lesser kestrels, eight common kestrels, a buzzard, an Eleonora’s falcon and a peregrine falcon, were observed in less than four hours.
All of this happened within the line of sight of around 100 hunters and not a shot was heard, except for seven at the only turtle dove in the group which survived to tell the tale anyway.
It was only the dark sky and rain that cleared the “Maltese countryside of such marvellous birds, and certainly not the hunters”, the association said.
The information was confirmed by members of the Committee Against Birds’ Slaughter (CABS), who are in Malta for a spring watch camp, when they said hundreds of birds “continued their migration unscathed”.
“However, despite a massive police presence, a number of poachers used the opportunity to shoot down several birds of prey yesterday evening and this morning,” CABS claimed.
They also reported two shots fired at a group of honey buzzards in Miżieb, leaving one bird “mortally injured”. Alerted by a patrol, the police searched the area and checked suspicious vehicles, without success, they said.
Later on Wednesday, five shots were recorded close to Żejtun, where several Montagu’s harriers had been sighted.
The largest night roost, with some 200 birds of prey, was the Miżieb woodland. Although at least 50 people with shotguns were out and about there, three teams recorded no killing of protected species.
“It was fantastic to see these rare birds fly off unharmed. In view of the massacre of birds of prey in this very area over the past few years, this represents real progress,” Alexander Heyd, CABS general secretary, said.
Since last weekend, CABS teams have recorded 158 contraventions of hunting and bird-protection legislation. These include 119 shots outside permitted hunting times, the illegal use of electronic decoys on 16 occasions, 12 instances of shooting at or shooting down protected species, and three cases of hunters not wearing the required armbands.
Meanwhile, BirdLife Europe, together with its local partner BirdLife Malta, has called for an immediate suspension of the ongoing spring hunting season to prevent more protected birds being killed and injured.
During BirdLife Malta’s international Spring Watch camp from April 10 to 24, over 800 illegalities were recorded, including the shooting down of protected birds.
Since the start of the hunting season, BirdLife Malta has received 17 shot birds, including rare species such as black kite, purple heron, lesser kestrel and Montagu’s harrier.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg and the real total number of shot protected birds is likely to be much higher,” it said.