Over 950 shots were recorded by BirdLife’s Spring Watch camp teams at several locations in Malta alone (excluding Gozo) over the last nine days since the beginning of the international bird monitoring camp last Saturday (1).

BirdLife Malta also revealed videos and stills of poachers roaming the countryside and shot protected birds taken over the last week by international and local birdwatchers. The video footage includes disturbing images of two men in Maghtab smashing the head of an injured March Harrier with a rock and then stashing it and poachers with white balaclavas covering their faces shooting in San Dimitri (Gozo) during public holiday where families use the same area for recreational purposes.

During the press conference BirdLife also showed a freshly shot injured Marsh Harrier which was recovered from Salina bird sanctuary on Sunday afternoon. Over the last week Spring Watch teams received five Marsh Harriers, one Scops Owl and one Montague’s Harrier, all protected birds, with shotgun injuries. Spring Watch teams have on several occasions spotted protected birds in flight with visible shotgun injuries, including 26 raptors (birds of prey).

There is also a significant increase in the number of shot birds the conservation organization has received this year. Since the beginning of March, 17 shot protected birds were passed on to BirdLife, compared to four during the same period last year.

“Although the spring hunting season is officially closed, many poachers (illegal hunters) have been enjoying these days with impunity from the law. On several occasions where our teams spotted poachers through their telescopes and contacted the police, the ALE units could not make it on time as they were extremely stretched working with only two or three vehicles in the countryside,” said Joseph Mangion, President of BirdLife Malta.

“Only after we alerted the Office of the Prime Minister did law enforcement in the countryside improve significantly, and we are grateful for that. However if the government does not commit to dealing seriously with illegal hunting by establishing a wildlife crime unit, beefing up the resources of the ALE, and ensuring that repeat offenders receive the maximum fines, this very same problem will be carried on to the next migration season.” continued Mangion.

BirdLife underlined the fact that the number of shots heard and illegal activities observed by the Spring Watch teams reflect only a portion of the true scale of illegal hunting as the teams can only cover a few parts of the island each day. In addition to these observations, the BirdLife office has received calls daily from members of the public who have been reporting illegal shootings while complaining that they were unable to reach the police.

Spring Watch have noticed poachers targeting roosting (sleeping) birds late in the night, from behind high walls while observers with binoculars tipped them off by radio. They have even been observed using muffled shotguns.

Speaking at the press conference Mr. Ole Friis Larsen, sub-editor of the Danish daily newspaper “Politeken” and member of BirdLife in Denmark said, “These wild birds are coming from different parts of Africa to Europe to find a partner and breed every spring. They bring their colours and songs to Europe and have inspired many European artists and composers like Beethoven and Mozart. In short, they have enriched our lives. I truly hope that the Maltese government will eventually realise that protecting these amazing creatures and giving them a chance to breed will end Malta’s reputation as a black spot for illegal bird killing in the Mediterranean. In the long run this will contribute to Malta’s economy as a popular destination for conservationists.”

52 international birdwatchers from eight countries, namely: Denmark, UK, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Australia, Germany, and Belgium, together with nine local team leaders, are taking part in this year’s Spring Watch Camp. So far 96 different species of migratory birds including 11 raptor species have been observed, showing the importance of Malta as an important stop-over and resting spot on the central migratory flyway for wild birds.

Footage of the incidents can be seen on www.birdlifemalta.org

Photo on the left shows a poacher who was photographed actively hunting on the 15th of April at San Martin. The poacher was active for three hours, between 11:00 and 14:00. Photo by BirdLife Malta.

Photo on the right shows a shot Marsh Harrier – BirdLife Malta said it has received 5 shot Marsh Harriers this spring. These birds migrate vast distances between their African wintering grounds and European breeding grounds. Photo by BirdLife Malta.

Note: 1) A total of 955 shots were recorded by Spring Watch Teams in 41 locations in Malta. There are teams covering between 5 to 10 different locations during each session early in the morning and late in the afternoon each day.