A Common Kestrel and a Merlin were last week released on Comino by BirdLife Malta after being rehabilitated and treated for different injuries sustained due to illegal hunting.

The raptors, both male, were released on Wednesday as soon as the weather conditions permitted, knowing that the weather is a determining factor for a successful release, the NGO said.

Comino is a Natura 2000 site and a bird sanctuary where no hunting or trapping is allowed and it is the main release site for rehabilitated raptors by BirdLife Malta, it said.. Apart from this, the spectacular landscape and habitat of the island provide a plethora of prey for raptors.

BirdLife said that “such releases are always a great relief and victory for conservation when they succeed after the accumulated effort of so many people starting with the member of the public who would have found the illegally shot bird of prey and phoned for help, the ALE unit, the dedicated vet diagnosing and treating the injuries, and the BirdLife Malta conservation team which establishes a plan to rehabilitate the bird.”

The Common Kestrel is one of the most common migrating falcons for Malta in spring and autumn and an occasional breeding bird for the archipelago. It was found by a caring member of the public in a field close to the road in the Tas-Santi Valley, limits of Imgarr, who phoned BirdLife Malta, it said.

The bird was retrieved on the 6th of November and taken to the vet where it was examined and X-rayed. It was found to be suffering from shotgun injuries with a severe broken left wing and two lead pellets still embedded in its body, said BLM.

The kestrel, named Thor, was rehabilitated by BirdLife Malta for 46 days. It was ringed and released last Wednesday on Comino. Soon after its release, it was met by another kestrel, probably one that was also released by BirdLife Malta earlier last month. The birds flew in synchrony for 20 minutes before disappearing behind the sloping hills.

The Merlin is an annual visitor but a rare one. The male bird was retrieved by the ALE in an unknown location and handed over to BirdLife Malta on November 14th by the vet. It was suffering from shotgun injuries with a broken right wing as confirmed by X-rays.

The Merlin, which is a very small raptor, was named Jupiter and was rehabilitated by BirdLife Malta for 38 days. Merlins are known to be fierce raptors and are regularly seen mobbing Golden Eagles in northern countries. After being ringed, the falcon was released on Comino also on Wednesday. It flew strongly, calling loudly and settled across the valley.

(Footage by Nimrod Mifsud, Alina Poletska and Nicholas Barbara. Editing by Nathaniel Attard)

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