BirdLife Malta has announced that, this summer, a pair of Little Egrets (Agrett Abjad) nested, for the first time ever in Malta or Gozo, in the Salina area laying three eggs. Breeding activity at the Salina site was suspected in mid-June by the owner of the land who immediately proceeded to inform BirdLife Malta about this activity and invited members of the organisation to visit.

The visit resulted in the confirmation of the presence of a nest containing three eggs. At this time, the news was kept under wraps in order to protect the birds from being targeted by illegal hunters, as Little Egrets are often shot illegally during migration.

BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager Dr. Andre Raine said: "The elegant Little Egret, while common in migration, has never before been reported to have nested locally, making this indeed a breakthrough in bird conservation efforts in Malta. This positive development could be attributed to the fact that for the first time the spring hunting season was significantly shortened, while at the same time pressure on illegal hunting was increased."

Little Egrets are small, pure white herons that are common migrants over Malta in spring and autumn. They often use the mudflats of areas such as Salina and Ghadira Nature Reserve to rest and feed before continuing their migration.

When the incubation period became abnormally long and it was absolutely certain that the eggs were never going to hatch, the owner of the land examined the eggs. Two of the three eggs were found to have been fertile. BirdLife suspects that the reason for the failure for the eggs to hatch could be due to the fact that there was only one Little Egret left by the end of June to incubate the eggs, which meant that proper incubation may not have been possible. The fate of the other Little Egret is not known.

Although the eggs failed to hatch, this breeding record is a very significant one and proves that many species of birds can breed in Malta when given the chance, BirdLife Malta said.

"Added resources to law enforcement officers would enable stronger and more effective control on illegal hunting which could lead to Malta beginning to see a resurgence of breeding species. This includes species such as the Peregrine Falcon and the Barn Owl which both bred regularly in Malta in the past, but due to illegal hunting pressure no longer do so," concluded Dr. Raine.