BirdLife Malta said today that the carcasses of 14 gulls, all protected by law, were found on Thursday at disused Fort Cambell in Selmun. 

"Following information received by the organization that a number of dead birds had been found at the location by picnickers, three BirdLife Malta staff went to the area to verify the report.

"Upon finding the described underground chamber and establishing that it contained the remains of several dead protected birds, BirdLife informed the Administrative Law Enforcement unit who shortly after arrived at the scene and confirmed BLM's report. Enforcement Officers from MEPA were called out to retrieve the birds' remains," BirdLife said.

The protected birds, 13 Yellow-legged Gulls and one Black-headed Gull, were found to be in an advanced stage of decomposition, the most recent having been dead since winter.

BirdLife recalled that in December last year, it submitted a report to ALE regarding a poacher shooting and killing at least three Yellow-legged Gulls. Photos were taken by a member of the public of a hunter using an illegal gull decoy to attract the birds to his hunting area in the exact same location as the 'bird tomb' found this week.

Nicholas Barbara, BirdLife Malta's Conservation and Policy Officer, said:"In addition to the find of dead gulls in Selmun, BirdLife has received a total of seven shot protected birds in the first eight days of the spring hunting season. Protected birds received by BirdLife so far include two Common Cuckoos, a Golden Oriole, a Bee-eater, a Hoopoe, a Common Kestrel and a Marsh Harrier, all with verified gunshot injuries."

BirdLife said its Spring Watch teams have also observed numerous protected migratory birds in flight over Malta suffering from injuries consistent with shotgun wounds, as well as witnessing protected birds being targeted by illegal hunters. These include an Osprey, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Swifts and Bee-eaters.