Mark Mifsud Bonnici and others took Maurice Mizzi to task for his stand in favour of a hunting ban on migrating birds. In my youth, which is going back more decades than I care to remember, hunting and trapping was an accepted pastime, even a form of competitive prowess. Birds of passage were not only legitimate prey as food and/or trophies, but also often a source of income.

However, since then, there has been a fundamental cultural change regarding the natural environment, including bird migration.

People now urgently need to think of preserving the wonders of nature as it has evolved over millennia.

Hunting and trapping needs to be severely restricted if various winged creatures are to be saved from extinction.