Bird Protection Camp´s Diary

Together with our partner organisations, the International Animal Rescue Malta and the Nature Trust Malta CABS ran a international bird protection on Malta with 22 participants from 15 – 23 September 2007.

The daily events were published here online at close of play every evening. This diary gives you an impression of the conditions prevailing on the island and our work in the field.

A final report will be published online very shortly.

A selection of articles from the Maltese print media

CABS bird protection operations were reported on almost daily in the Maltese press. Below are links to the most interesting articles.

X-ray shows Sigmar was hit by six shotgun pellets, Malta Times, 29.09.2007
Brandenburg Environment Minister condemns rare eagle shooting, Malta Independent, 26.09.2007
One of Germany's 'Euro1m' eagles wounded, Malta Times, 25.09.2007
Birdwatchers find dead species at observation post, Malta Times, 24.09.2007
CABS cites rampant abuse, Malta Indipendent, 22.09.2007
Foreign birdwatchers cannot understand fuss by hunters, Malta Times, 19.09.2007
No hunting after 3 p.m. for two weeks, Malta Times, 30.08.2007

More articles, editorials and cartoons can be viewed online here.

23.09.2007, Sunday

The final day of the bird protection camp on Malta. Most participants have left - only 5 activists in 2 teams took part in operations
6:35 - 7:10, Zebbiegh. One shot was fired at a flock of some 70 Marsh Harriers which had made their overnight roost in a small wooded area north of the town.. The birds flew very high - none of them was injured.
6:30 - 8:00, Buskett,. Over 300 Marsh Harriers and Honey Buzzards were able to fly off without incident due to the massive presence of BirdLife, CABS and the environmental polce unit A.L.E. The police also dismantled a number of illegal electronic Quail lures in the area.
10:50, St. Paul`s Bay. A.L.E hand over a wounded Marsh Harrier, shot at Buskett yesterday, to the IAR for rehabilitation in their recovery station

22.09.2007, Saturday

6:15 - 7:55, Dingli Cliffs. 10 Marsh Harriers leaving their roost in Buskett come under fire from several hunters - no hits!
6:37, Dwejra Lines. Shots at a Marsh Harrier.
7:09, Dwejra Lines. The rear tyres of a CABS team vehicle are punctured by a sharp instrument. Almost certainly hunters as this is the location where the Booted Eagle was shot down yesterday.
7:01, Buskett. 8 Honey Buzzards leaving their night roost are shot at but not hit.
7:10, Laferla Cross. A Hobby (Falco subbuteo) is shot down before the eyes of a CABS team. The police who were called to the scene fail to establish the culprit or find the bird.
16:02, Victoria Lines, 1 shot after hunting curfew (15:00 hrs).
17:08 - 17:45, northern section of Dingli Cliffs, 4 shots after the curfew.
17:10, Mgarr. 1 shot after curfew.
17:14, Buskett. 1 shot after curfew.
17:45, Dingli Cliffs. 1 shot after curfew.
18:55, Mgarr. 1 shot after curfew,

21.09.2007, Friday

All 22 camp participants took part in operations today in 9 teams.
7:04, Dwejra Lines. A Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) was downed by 7 shots in full view of CABS members with their video camera running. The police sent 3 patrol cars to the scene within minutes but neither the bird or the culprit could be found in the very rugged terrain.
7:25, Dingli Cliffs. 16 shots were fired at a large falcon ssp.
15:06, Dingli Cliffs. 3 shots after the hunting curfew (from 15:00 hrs).
17:29, Laferla Cross. 3 shots after curfew.
17:30 - 18:51, Dwejra Lines. A total of 6 shots after curfew.
18:30 A CABS team finds a freshly prepared mist net site (without net) presumably for Turtle Doves. The location is known and will be published at a later date.
19:25, Victoria Lines, 1 shot after curfew.

20.09.2007, Thursday

22 CABS members again took part in operations today. The press brought excellent articles about our efforts to date.
7:05, Dingli/Laferla Cross. The CABS team which took incoming shotgun fire yesterday were subjected to verbal abuse and threatened with weapons at only 2 metres distance in the same location. The police were called and effectively calmed down the situation.
8:30, Madliena. Our partner organisation IAR reported the wounding of a Honey Buzzard by an unknown shooter. The bird had a wound in the right wing.
Shots fired after the official curfew at 15:00 hrs:
6:14 - 17:02, Gharghur, 3 shots
16:15 - 16:58, Santi, 5 shots
Earlier in the day the environmental police unit A.L.E. confiscated a Dotterel from a hunter near Rabat. It had been illegally caught and kept as a decoy. The bird was taken to our Malta rehabilitation station.

19.09.2007, Wednesday

The operations today were conducted by 22 CABS activists in a rearranged distribution of operational tasks. This was due to the concentration of hunters in the western part of the island.
6:52, Dingli/Laferla Cross, At a range of just over 25 m a shot was fired at two German CABS members from Genthin and Augsburg. The two were lucky to escape with a nasty shock and only a few bruises. Their slight injuries were documented in a local clinic as evidence. The police enquires into the shooting (culprit known) continued throughout the day.
7:17, Zurrieq. A CABS team were verbally abused by an angry hunter. The team withdrew as part of our de-escalation strategy discussed at a briefing the night before (Other less serious cases of verbal abuse have been directed at CABS teams the past two days).
7:50, Zurrieq. The same team was threatened with a weapon by a hunter.
13:00, Victoria Lines. The hunter who had shot and carried away a Buzzard at 18:30 the previous evening was interrogated by police after the CABS team in this area of operations had led the police to his hut.
16:05 - 17:10, Buskett/Laferla Cross. 3 shots after the hunting curfew (15:00 hrs)
16:55, Zebbiegh, 1 shot after curfew
17:30, Buskett/Dingli, 2 shots after curfew
18:25, Dingli Cliffs, 4 shots after curfew
18:53, Dingli Cliffs, 1 shot after curfew

19.09.2007, Tuesday

Seven teams (22 activists) took part in today's operations.
The Hunting Federation president, Lino Farrugia claimed publicly that CABS members are "spies". He demanded that all foreigners who criticised Malta should be declared persona non grata and expelled from the country.
7:00 - 8:20 hrs, Laferla Cross/Buskett, several hunters shot at some 40 Honey Buzzard and Marsh Harriers which had roosted overnight in Buskett. Without the strong presence of conservationists and the environmental police a massacre would have been unavoidable.
8:00, Manikata,. One of our team members travelling alone was stoned and chased by a number of men: a direct result of our good showing in the press.
15:30 - 17:30, Laferla Cross, The presence of CABS teams prevented hunting of the numerous Bee-eaters, Hobbys, Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harriers and Ospreys. The hunters are at boiling point and the situation on the ground between them and the conservationists is escalating. Three mobile police units were required to defuse the situation.
18:30, Victoria Lines, a hunter shoots at a raptor - thought to have been a Honey Buzzard - and kills it

17.09.2007, Monday

9 Teams with a total of 21 participants took part in today's operations .
3:35 hrs, Gnejna Bay, hunting of rabbits and ground-roosting birds with vehicle mounted searchlights above the beach. The police were alerted and came to the scene.
7:00 hrs, Buskett, 25 raptors (mostly Marsh Harriers and Honey Buzzards) fly off from their roost and are shot at by a large group of hunters. According to a BirdLife observer group a Marsh Harrier was killed and several birds were observed with damaged plumage.
15:20 hrs, Marfa Ridge, one shot after the official hunting curfew (15,00 hrs) probably aimed at a Honey Buzzard.
16:00 to 18:00 hrs, south of Birzebbuga, 3 hunters openly carrying weapons despite the curfew. No shots heard.
17:30 hrs, Gnejna Bay, on the cliffs south of the beach two hunters shoot at a bird, probably a Common Buzzard. The police are alerted and arrive quickly at the scene. The hunters manage to flee.
17:45 hrs, Dwejra Lines, a hunter shoots at a raptor (probably a Honey Buzzard).
18:25 hrs, Manikata, 5 shots heard from the direction of Gozo (the neighbouring island). after the official curfew.
19:00 hrs, Dingli Cliffs, despite the curfew several hunters with weapons parade openly in the area. No shots.

16.09.2007, Sunday

This Sunday 8 teams with 19 Committee activists were operating on the ground.

6:50 hrs, Gain Znuber Tower, one hunter shoots at a circling Honey Buzzard and injures it fatally. The team on the spot tries to arrest the culprit but he manages to flee leaving personal equipment and ammunition behind. The bird, a juvenile, is found and, together with 50 cartridges, is handed over to the A.L.E mobile squad who are quickly on the spot.
At about the same time, somewhat further to the west, the police apprehend two hunters with 2 electronic bird lure devices and confiscate them.

15:00 hrs, south of Marsaxlokk, three shots at some distance away are aimed at passing migrant birds despite the shooting ban from 13:00 hrs onwards (earlier stop for Sundays and holidays).
Otherwise the whole island is quiet as far as hunting is concerned; apart from the team in Marsaxlokk no shots are heard!!!

15.09.2007, Saturday

The first day proper of the bird camp. As most of the participants arrive during the course of the day, only two teams carry out monitoring operations against illegal hunting in the north of the main island:
7:08 hrs, Ras Il-Wahx, two hunters shoot at a Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus, one of them hits the bird and it falls out of the sky.
7:10 hrs the same hunter who shot at the Marsh Harrier shoots at three Honey Buzzards Pernis apivoros but misses them.
The culprit and his vehicle are photographed by CABS team members and the environmental police unit A.L.E. is informed. CABS prefer charges against the hunter.
15:50 - 15:55hrs, Laferla Cross. Despite the ban on hunting after 15:00 hrs (in force from today until 30 Sep) a dozen shots are heard from the direction of Rabat (at least 5 km distant).
17:30 hrs, secondary road No. 17 near Victoria Lines, a small flock of Spanish Sparrows Passer hispaniolensis are shot at, again despite the 15 :00 hrs shooting ban. Both breaches of the law are reported to A.L.E.
During the reconnaissance of a coastal area in the west of the island a newly arrived team find a freshly shot Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica.The badly injured bird is handed over to our partnet organisation IAR Malta.
20:00 hrs – all camp participants have arrived safely on Malta!

13.09.2007, Thursday

The long delayed bird migration begins to increase in numbers. The hunters, in anticipation, are out in force. As expected the first cases of illegal hunting are reported:

A.L.E. confiscate a shot and injured Honey Buzzard, three illegally kept Little Ringed Plovers Charadrius dubius and a Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarus, also illegally procured. All the birds are handed over to the IAR; unfortunately the Honey Buzzard has to be put down.