Those visiting the Għadira Nature Reserve, which is again open to the public, last weekend had the pleasure of watching two juvenile flamingos feeding and flying around the protected wetland.
The two birds were saved by Birdlife in early September. They were migrating south but probably could not keep up with the rest of the flock and had to land.
The first bird landed at Paradise Bay on September 4, while the second bird was found in a private garden at Birżebbuġa five days later.
In the past few years, flamingos featured in the news headlines several times, usually because they were shot while migrating over the Maltese islands.
Flamingos used to be rare migrants in the central Mediterranean but now we are seeing several flocks every year, especially in early autumn.
Flamingos used to be rare migrants in the central Mediterranean but now we are seeing several flocks every year, especially in early autumn
This is the result of new flamingo colonies which are establishing themselves in various wetlands just to the north of Malta – in Sicily.
Italian ornithologists monitoring the island’s birds have, after an absence of many decades, found flamingos breeding again in saline marshes along the southeastern coast of Sicily.
The ornithologists said that, within a year of stricter bird protection laws coming into force and better enforcement, the number of species of birds breeding in Sicily increased tenfold.
In Italy, hunting is permitted as long as it does not conflict with the needs for the conservation of wildlife and does not cause actual damage to agricultural production.
Hunting for most birds is allowed only from October 1, until the end of December. A few species can be hunted from the last Sunday of September and for a small number hunting is allowed until the end of January. No hunting is allowed in spring when the birds are preparing to breed.
Italian legislation, as stipulated by EU directives, prohibits all forms of bird trapping.
Furthermore, the law allows the prohibition of hunting of certain species if their populations are declining or if they are threatened by sudden environmental conditions such as bad weather or disease.
In spite of what Maltese hunters say, local bird protection legislation is too liberal and enforcement still leaves much to be desired. Spring hunting and bird trapping are presently the two main threats to Maltese birdlife and the rest of nature.
Hunting in spring kills birds returning to breed and every bird shot in spring is a nest less. Moreover, the presence of hunters disturbs birds attempting to breed even if these are not shot at.
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