A No vote in the spring hunting referendum would secure Delimara as a safe haven for migrating birds and a serene place for all to enjoy the countryside, Spring Hunting Out (Shout) campaigners said yesterday.

Hammering a small signpost into the soil at the scenic Xrobb l-Għaġin as a symbolic gesture of reclaiming the land from hunters, spokesman Mark Sultana said the Delimara peninsula was of particular significance.

Firstly, being in the south of Malta, it served as the arrival point for many exhausted birds flying some 300 kilometres from Africa on their way to breed, especially when buoyed on by a north westerly wind.

However, Delimara also happened to be a hunting hotspot, having one of the highest concentration of hunters in Malta.

“Birds flying over Malta should be able to land safely at Delimara and find a safe haven where they can rest, eat and recover from their long journey,” Mr Sultana said.

“Instead, many birds arriving here are met by a barrage of shotgun fire because they find themselves in one of the worst places for bird killing in the Maltese islands.”

Tired birds would hardly have had enough time to swoop down and rest their wings before being bombarded by gunfire, he said.

Delimara welcomes over 50 bird species, including quail and turtle doves and protected species such as marsh harriers, grey herons, ospreys, bee-eaters and short-eared owls.

Abolishing spring hunting would reflect long-term ambitions to turn the area into a national park to be enjoyed by the Maltese

Quail and turtle dove populations are declining all over Europe. Additionally, over the years, volunteers have recorded repeated instances of widespread illegal hunting in the area.

In a span of 20 days in April 2013, 215 incidents of illegal hunting were recorded. Protected birds have also been targeted throughout the year, such as a short eared owl which was shot at 20 times before being found by a member of the public. It had to be put down.

Research, Mr Sultana said, had also shown that hunters were far more liable to commit illegalities during an open hunting season then during the closed season, when toting a shotgun would be more noticeable.

“Last autumn, when the hunting season was temporarily closed, volunteers witnessed over 100 grey herons resting on the rocks at Delimara before flying off to Africa,” he said, brandishing a photograph of the picturesque scene.

“This is a sight that would not be seen during an open season.”

Abolishing spring hunting would reflect long-term ambitions to turn the area into a national park to be enjoyed by the Maltese. Turning Delimara into a national park was first proposed in 1997 and, in July 2013.

Marsaxlokk mayor Eric Micallef called upon the government to take this idea on board.

“Public land is there to be enjoyed by all – but instead, the Maltese public has to put up with being shooed off the land by hunters or being blocked off by illegal gates,” campaigner John Portelli told Times of Malta.

“I can’t even enjoy my own private vineyard in Dwejra, Malta, due to hunters. My irrigation pipes are constantly sprouting water out of bullet holes, which I have to stay patching up. And the amount of lead I collect off my field is incredible.”

Top ranking localities for instances of illegal hunting and trapping in spring

Statistics by Birdlife, who were unable to supply precise figures for 2014.