Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, has said that he is pleased to note the first ring recovery of a common linnet (Linaria cannabina) that, he said, appears to have been ringed in Budapest, Hungary.

In a post of Facebook, the Minister noted that “the songbird research project has started to yield results and this fills us with more and more courage when you consider the poor passage over the Maltese Islands this year.”

He went on to say that, “contrary to what is otherwise stated, this ring recovery and potentially others being documented by the licensees, is confirmation that the Government’s decision to apply the Article 9 (1) (b) derogation for research is yielding the desired results.”

Through catch and release, and following sound legal advice, we will gradually be able to determine the reference population of Malta of the seven species of songbirds, the Minister concluded. “I look forward to more positive results through this project!”

The Gozo Ministry had announced that trapping for “a research period” on seven species of songbirds – greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, serin, chaffinch, siskin and hawfinch – opened on the 20th of October and continues until the 20th of December, both dates included.

It also advised that “every songbird caught must be released immediately, and those caught with a ring must be recorded.”

The announcement of the trapping season for songbirds, “in order to establish for reference the population in Malta,” had been met by protests from NGOs, the KA and ornithologists.

Permalink: Common Linnet ringed in Budapest has been trapped in Gozo – Minister