A BirdLife Malta Spring Watch team was this morning ambushed and attacked on the road past the Red Tower in the Foresta 2000 site at Mellieha, BirdLife said.

"At 7 a.m. a car carrying four BirdLife volunteers was ambushed by two men wearing camouflage, hats, and handkerchiefs over their faces. The men jumped out from behind a rubble wall and pelted the car with big stones.

"One of the female passengers, clearly visible behind the rear window, narrowly escaped injury after a stone missed the window only inches away from her face. A construction brick was hurled at the front passenger window, narrowly missing and hitting the car instead.

"The aggressors ran away after the vehicle stopped. A third person was also observed running in their direction from an illegal trapping site," the NGO said.

It said the stones were thrown at the car windows even though there were people visible behind them.

"These men were not trying to damage the car but to hurt us,” the driver of the car said.

A report was filed with the police who arrived 20 minutes later and escorted the team away from the site before searching the area. The aggressors were not apprehended.