Malta’s first spring migration without the legal presence of hunters in the countryside has brought with it a number of unexpected changes in behaviour patterns among local avifauna, including breeding attempts by at least two formerly non-resident species.
BirdLife’s Conservation Manager Dr André Raine admits that is too early to talk of these changes as being the direct result of diminished hunting activity; but April 2008 nonetheless marked the first time on record that Coots – an aquatic bird similar to the Moorhen, a known breeding resident – nested in the Ghadira nature reserve, and were even seen with their chicks among the reeds and bulrushes.
More spectacular still was the first known breeding attempt by a pair of Black-winged Stilts: a large and impressive wader, never before recorded as a resident species. “We observed a pair in copulation, and they even attempted making scrapes (nests) in the sand,” Raine told MaltaToday. Although the attempt was unsuccessful, Raine is confident that the stilts flew away unmolested; this in turn suggests that the same species may well attempt to breed again in future.
I joined birdwatchers at Bingemma on Monday for the last of the Spring Watch Camp – a monitoring exercise co-ordinated by BirdLife Malta. Raine explains to me how even without these breeding attempts, the lack of hunters may have influenced unusual behaviour patterns observed even in non-resident species.
“This year, we saw large numbers of Turtle Dove gathering at Mizieb, and then waiting for other flocks before heading on. This shows that the birds in this area were being allowed to continue their migration to European breeding grounds undisturbed. This could have important knock-on conservation benefits in Europe for this declining species,” he said.
André Raine however urges caution in the interpretation of these observations. “This is the first year that spring hunting has been banned, and changes in breeding and migratory bird populations take time. Furthermore, this has been a relatively slow migration so far (something also reported in the United Kingdom and Cyprus), but then again, it’s slow on some days and busy on others. One thing is certain, however: with fewer hunters there has been a big difference in the number of dead or wounded protected birds brought to our offices this year. Over the last few weeks since Spring Watch has been operating, we haven’t even had a single one.”
Even as he speaks, there is a commotion among the birdwatchers. “Bee-eaters!” someone exclaims, and in an instant all binoculars are trained on a large flock of these elegant and brightly-coloured birds, numbering at least 50, as it settles on the telephone wires. We watch as they dart from their perches and wheel above the fields; until, at an unseen gesture from the squadron commander, the entire flock takes to the skies and flies off northwards.
Throughout all this, not a single gunshot is heard. “That must be a first,” Raine tells me with satisfaction. “To have a flock that size pass over this area, which is notorious for illegal hunting, and not a single one shot…that’s probably never happened before.”
BirdLife’s Conservation Manager acknowledges that much of this is down to the extraordinary efforts of the Administration Law Enforcement Agency, which although still understaffed with only 30 officers, has nonetheless managed to keep the illegal hunting situation in many parts of the island largely under control.
“There are still certain parts of the island – mainly in the south – where you would think it was still open season,” Raine admits. “But considering how it was before, and the limited resources at their disposal, the ALE officers have done a fantastic job.”

rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt