Many of us have experienced having a Spanish sparrow hop quite close to us while at some outdoor restaurant. These birds have become accustomed to people and will get fairly close since they don’t feel at risk. Elsewhere, pigeons will often get quite close if someone has scattered some breadcrumbs. That’s just about it here in Malta, as far as trusting birds are concerned.

However, I was quite surprised while I was in England last summer when during a walk along a small stream I came upon a grey heron, no more than three metres away. It was looking right at me, keeping still, watching as I got my camera ready and took several photos before I walked past it.

I’ve seen countless corvids and magpies ignoring people as they come close, and even falcons will sit on a perch in full view without seeming alarmed – and why shouldn’t they?

Nobody’s going to shoot at them there and they seem to know it. And yet, the same birds here in Malta seem more cautious, flying off at the first hint of a human, even from far away.

It seems that Malta and the Maltese have gained a bad reputation, and not just with tourists. Even the birds have learned to give us a wide berth.

Can you imagine going out into the countryside and seeing all kinds of birds around you, not flying off? It could happen – there’s an amazing variety of all kinds of birds that stop over in Malta, and some could stay, even nest here.

When one looks at a map of the breeding grounds of quail and turtle dove, this includes almost all the Mediterranean, including north and south of Malta, but not Malta.

We can change that. We can make Malta a haven for birds, at least for the duration of spring.

On April 11 vote ‘No’ to spring hunting. Let these birds be enjoyed by all.