The German-based CABS bird-watchers group said today that despite a large police and conservationist presence, hunters on the Delimara peninsula fired more than 300 shots at Turtle Doves and raptors this morning.

"The shots came mainly from the Ta´ Lombardi valley and the Ta´ Ngraw area to its rear. We believe that several dozen persons were responsible" CABS president Heinz Schwarze said.

CABS said it had been informed that two poachers were arrested by the police.

It said that its teams had documented the illegal shooting on video, including the shooting at a Hobby and a Montagu´s Harrier however Mr Schwarze regretted not having managed to get footage of a poacher with a weapon in his hand.

"The shooters were clearly aware that they were under observation and concealed themselves behind walls and small clumps of trees. They had look-out posts with mobile phones or walkie-talkies everywhere, and these passed on the position of our teams and the police to the poachers in the valley" Bird Guard Leonardo Petrelli said.

"What we saw this morning was organised crime at its best"

He said that in addition to the CABS team an ALE patrol as well as a mobile team from the district police witnessed this morning's excesses in Delimara.

Another CABS team was deployed in the Selmun Palace area in the north of the island this morning. Apart from five shots, they reported all quiet in the northern part of the island.

The Committee also received information that the police had caught a poacher red-handed hunting with a shotgun and in possession of 'hundreds' of cartridges near Hal-Far this morning.