Only four in 10 hunters reported shooting turtle doves and quail last autumn, according to data released by the government.
The hunters shot nearly 2,500 turtle doves and nearly 1,700 quail, the Wild Birds Regulation Unit, a government agency, said.
It noted that 6,746 hunters out of a total 10,811 licensed individuals did not report any turtle dove or quail catches in autumn.
The unit said catches were significantly lower than previous years because of poor migration and the temporary closure of the season between September 20 and October 11 after the killing of protected birds.
Hunters had shot nearly 8,000 turtle doves and 5,000 quail in the 2013 autumn season, according to the agency.
Catches were significantly lower than previous years because of poor migration and temporary closure of the season
The information is based on the Carnet de Chasse, the official document hunters have to fill in every time they shoot a bird.
At the same time the government released a scientific study on migration of turtle doves and quail over the Maltese islands conducted last autumn. The study commissioned by the government agency was carried out by independent ornithological experts during September and October, the peak migratory period for both birds.
The study estimated that a total of nearly 8,000 turtle doves and 46,000 quail migrated over Malta, Gozo and Comino during the two-month period.
When comparing the values registered in the two autumn months with those of similar surveys in 2008 and 2009, the experts concluded that there was a lower influx of turtle doves and quail last autumn.
However, the report authors also say that estimates must be treated with “utmost caution”, given the relatively small number of field sites used in the survey and the fact that counts were not made daily at each site.
“Increasing the number of field sites per day is desirable since the influx of birds at different localities is extremely variable, with potential large differences in turtle dove passing at two different localities, even if these are separated by a very small distance,” the experts said.
Field observations were made at 21 field monitoring sites located at various strategic positions around the Maltese islands.
However, the figures do point towards higher migratory flows of the two bird species in spring, with an identical study conducted last April over a three-week period recording almost 25,000 turtle doves and 38,000 quail.
The survey findings and the reported killings will be used to determine the quota of turtle doves and quail that can be shot in spring.
This year’s spring hunting season hangs in the balance, however, as the government will wait for the outcome of the referendum on April 11 before deciding on whether to open the season or not.
Voters will be asked whether they want to retain the law that allows hunting to take place in spring.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com