The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Apologies for posting a foreign topic in General Lincs Birding but it has some relevance as both species mentioned occur in Lincs and we are down on Spoonbills this year.

''On the first day of BirdLife Malta’s Spring Watch 2011 Camp last Sunday, international volunteers witnessed a flock of 42 Marsh Harriers being searched for at night using torches, and shot while the protected birds slept in fields between Mosta and Burmarrad.
Out of the 42 Marsh Harriers which a Spring Watch team saw roosting on Sunday afternoon, only two were seen rising from the roost on Monday after the night shooting.

Last week a single Spoonbill which roosting in Salina Bird Sanctuary disappeared after three shots were fired at night from within the sanctuary. A few weeks ago a flock of Marsh Harriers roosting in the Ghar Ilma area in Gozo were also searched for at night using torches and shot at. In February a flock of 70 Spoonbills that came to Malta seeking shelter from bad weather were met with the same fate with only six of them observed managing to leave their roosts in the morning.''

Sobering!!

Shocking news Edmund, and isn,t Malta a member of the EU ?,
perhaps more publicity and a campaign against holidays in Malta?
starting with lobbying the travel agencies. regards John.

I used to know a Maltese woman who divided her time between Malta and the UK. When discussing birding there, she said "The Maltese will shoot at anything that moves, they'll never change and the Government don't regard it as important."

Geoff

They are in the EU and have been threatened apparently if they do not get their house in order but as we all know political posturing is totally meaningless and nothing will actually happen -- it may even be justified on the grounds that the hunters create money for the country! more stupid things have happened and lets face facts hunters / well heeled people in the Uk are directly or indirectly responsible for the killing of 100's of Hen Harriers and protected birds of prey every year and all again is justified by the input of money into local economics; There is only one way birds will be saved in the world and that is through an incurable deadly human virus.

Another factor in the mix is that the UK currently has a lot of firepower based in Malta shooting up Libyans. Although it would be nice if they could practice on a few local shooters while they are at it, more likely UK gov and rest of the EU will turn a blind eye to their illegal shooting in return for them supporting our questionable shooting in Libya.