BirdLife Malta said today that a rare Spoonbill has been seen at Ghadira Nature Reserve since Thursday.

Reserve Warden, Alex Casha, said, “we initially wanted to keep quiet about the presence of the bird, as past experience has shown us that if poachers know birds like this are here, they will not hesitate to break into the reserve at night to try to kill them.

“But now that the Spoonbill has been at the reserve for several days it is highly likely that word will have spread and the poachers will know about it. BirdLife has decided that the best protection for the bird while it continues to reside in the Nature Reserve is for as many people as possible to know it is there and for local residents to help by keeping an eye and ear out for any suspicious activity in the area.”

The reserve is already guarded by a security guard outside opening hours and throughout the night.

“Spoonbills are infrequent visitors to the Maltese Islands on migration, making them highly prized by poachers,” Casha said.

BirdLife said that it “has received numerous reports of continued illegal shooting all around the islands since the end of the hunting season on Tuesday, which adds to concern for the safety of this bird.”

Anyone wanting to see this amazing bird while it is in Malta is encouraged to visit Ghadira Nature Reserve during normal public opening hours of 10.30am to 4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Photograph – Alex Casha.

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