Environmentalists have expressed shock at the sight of a crane on the Natura 2000 site at Migrah Ferħa, an important breeding site for the Scopoli shearwater.

Alan Deidun, an environmentalist who is also an associate professor at the University of Malta, posted a photo on his Facebook page saying he did not want to think about the ecological damage wrought to the cliffs by the crane as it weaved its way through the narrow footpaths.

“Truly shocking... When you thought you had seen it all it's time for a re-think... cranes on cliffs... the last real refuge for nature on these islands and we still manage to rape them... speechless.”

He urged that the authorities do something about the "scarring" of such a site.