Birdwatchers have discovered a giant illegal bird trap in Ta’ Qali, in the form of an empty and abandoned 40-metre-long reservoir.

Volunteers from the Committee against Bird Slaughter (CABS) found the site on Saturday when they followed the sound of an illegal bird caller imitating the song of protected birds.

These installations pose a huge threat to birds and other wildlife

They found a deep basin 20 metres wide, with five vertical mist nets and several plastic bird decoys arranged around a puddle of water.

“The whole structure was transformed into a massive underground trap exclusively designed to attract and catch protected birds out of the sight of the police,” CABS wildlife crime officer Fiona Burrows said.

The police were called on site and climbed down the basin to remove the nets and bird caller. They are still investigating.

The organisation said this was only one of 10 illegal trapping sites found by CABS and dismantled by the police over the last week.

“These installations pose a huge threat to birds and other wildlife such as hedgehogs and snakes, which become entangled and die,” Ms Burrows said.

She said the organisation had seen an increase in illegal trapping sites, which was very worrying.

Active clap nets, illegal bird callers and numerous live protected birds were also confiscated in Kirkop, Binġemma, Għaxaq, Żabbar, Marsascala, Ħal Far, L-Aħrax and Żejtun.

Meanwhile, the organisation St Hubert Hunters has called on the authorities to hand down the harshest possible fines after two hunters were caught in possession of two protected birds while hunting from a speedboat in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.

The birds should be confiscated and the hunting licences withdrawn permanently, it added.

“It is inconceivable that some persist in their criminal activity knowing the consequences of their despicable actions on legal hunting and being aware of the damage to public perception,” the organisation said.