BirdLife Malta in a statement today said it was grateful to the police and the public for their response to the unusually high number of young Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) that have been seen around the islands over the past week.
Since the first sighting of a flock of more than 40 flamingos, including adults and young birds, on Monday last week, reports of young birds separated from the main flock and landing or even ditching into the sea had abounded, Birdlife said.
The juvenile flamingos are easily distinguished from adults by their greyish plumage, as opposed to the bright pink for which these striking birds are known.
Last Tuesday morning one young flamingo was found feeding and resting in the lagoon at the Għadira wetland, where it stayed for several days, being guarded by police and BirdLife Malta volunteers before leaving on Friday afternoon.
On the same afternoon, Hibs under 17 players helped another exhausted young flamingo after it landed at their Verdala grounds in the middle of a training session. The footballers gave the young bird water and it was passed to the Cospicua Police and subsequently released at the Għadira Nature Reserve on Saturday morning, staying for the rest of the day and eventually leaving on Sunday morning.
Sunday night saw residents at Salina join police and BirdLife volunteers in an overnight watch to guard a single juvenile flamingo which landed in the salt pans during the day, renewing talk of the need for a Salina Neighbourhood Birdwatch group to prevent a repeat of June’s night-time killing of an adult flamingo in the same spot.
Birdlife said last week's storm may have been a factor in so many of the young birds landing and staying on the islands rather than continuing on with the rest of the flock.
“Unfortunately, it has not all been good news, and there have been incidents of shooting which have marred the overall public response to protect and help these birds,” Birdlife said.
Yesterday, photos apparently showing a flamingo in the sea at Mgarr ix-Xini, Gozo, were posted to Facebook after members of the public on a boat witnessed the bird being shot down by a hunter standing on the shore. The man then sent his dog into the sea to retrieve the carcass. It is not known whether police have apprehended anyone for the shooting.
There had also been reports of shooting at flamingos in Marsaxlokk and Ramla Il-Hamra in Gozo.
Referring to the recent decision to extend hunting hours until 7pm between September 15 and 30, Birdlife spokesman Steve Micklewright asked, “If this is happening now, when there is no legal hunting season as cover for these illegal shootings, what is it going to be like come September, when there will be thousands of hunters in the countryside at the same time as protected birds of prey are coming into roost in the afternoon?”