Since the start of this year’s spring hunting season on Friday, BirdLife Malta said that, together with the Police, they have recovered one illegally shot protected bird every day, for a total of five known illegally shot protected birds.

BirdLife in a statement on Wednesday, said that last Friday a Common Kestrel (Spanjulett) was retrieved by the Gozo Police from Ghajnsielem, on Saturday a member of the public found a European Bee-eater (Qerd in-Nahal) at Salina with damage to its right wing, on Sunday a Hoopoe (Daqquqa tat-Toppu) was found by the public in Floriana with an injury to its left wing, on Monday another Common Kestrel with a broken wing was found by a Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) team in Birzebbuga, and yesterday a Collared Dove (Gamiema tal-Kullar) with an open fracture to its left wing was found by a member of the public in Wardija.The eNGO said that all birds were taken to the Government veterinarian “who confirmed they were illegally shot.”

BirdLife pointed out that “these birds are just the ones we managed to recover, and our teams have witnessed more protected birds being shot at during the past days, such as the Grey Heron (Russett Griz) in the last picture which was observed in flight over Ghadira with very evident gunshot injuries to one of its wings.”

BirdLife gave thanks to CABS for handing over to us the kestrel found in Birzebbuga on Easter Monday.

“The hunting season runs until the 30th of April and the only huntable species this year is supposed to be Quail,” BirdLife Malta concluded.

Photographs by BirdLife Malta show top: Common Kestrel Ghajnsielem and below European Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Common Kestrel and a Collared Dove

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