The Wild Birds Regulation Unit on Monday said that the live trapping season was closed as the national quota for Golden Plover had been reached (the bag limit was 700).

The season opened on the 1st of November and had been due to close on the 10th of January.

It went on to confirm that the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia, in conjunction with the Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri, notified that the overall seasonal bag limit for Golden Plover has been reached.

“With immediate effect, the Autumn 2020 live-capturing special licences have lapsed and are considered revoked and the live-capturing season is now closed,” the WBRU said. An SMS was also sent notifying all Special Licence holders, it said.

The WBRU instructed that clap-nets (including nets, poles, springs, etc.) “shall be immediately dismantled and removed from the site in line with condition 8 of the Special Licence.”

There was also a Song Thrush trapping season, which opened on the 20th of October and closed on the 31st of December.

File photo – BirdLife Malta

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