A number of GPS-tracked protected birds were being followed for research when they suddenly disappeared after arriving in Malta these past few days.

“Czech Black Kite, rehabilitated Honey-buzzard and colour-ringed Lesser Spotted Eagle amongst studied birds that disappeared over Malta in the past days, as illegal hunting on land as well as at sea takes its toll on protected species,” BirdLife Malta wrote.

The birds’ migration patterns were being studied as they vanished when passing through Malta.

This is just one of many illegal incidents that have plagued the island’s wildlife since the hunting season progressed, the organisation wrote.

In the latest case which “keeps highlighting the international impact the current hunting season is having on European species”, a GPS-tracked Black Kite that hailed from the Czech Republic stopped transmitting after it migrated to Malta.

The bird coded OT-093 was one of two young Black Kites abandoned by their parents and rescued from their nest near the city of Ostrava in the northeast Czech Republic.

A local birder saved them and took them to a rescue center, where they were reared to fledging age. They were later introduced to another nest of two young Black Kites in the southeast Czech Republic, with all four birds being fitted with solar-powered GPS transmitters to monitor their migration by the University of Veterinary Sciences in Brno.

The now-disappeared bird started its journey on 23rd September heading through Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia.

It crossed the Adriatic Sea on 29th September and flew south reaching Sicily. Its last night on the peninsula was 2nd October before it made its way further down to Malta the next day.

It flew past Gozo at 2.30 pm and reached Rabat and Dingli just an hour later before settling to sleep in the trees of Fawwara.

No further positions outside its roosting spot were received the following morning.

That same week, a Honey-buzzard that arrived “exhausted” on the island, “crash-landing in an apartment in Pietà, was nursed back to health by BirdLife before being released on Comino.

It was released on 2nd October and soon flew south past Buskett, it continued moving further south in the afternoon before its signal went dead at around 4.30 pm in the limits of Birżebbuġa.

“In both cases, the trackers fitted on the birds are believed to have been destroyed upon the birds being killed,” BirdLife informed. 

However, flying over the land of Malta isn’t the only dangerous expedition for these birds which are highly targeted for taxidermy.

A Short-toed Snake-eagle was chased down by a boat of hunters who were filmed shooting at the bird between Malta and Filfla. Prior to its tragic demise, the bird managed to survive two nights in Malta which involved attempted hunting. 

Yet, its voyage over the sea starting on the morning of 1st October proved to be its last.

Footage of the incident was passed to the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) of the Malta Police Force, following which an investigation set off to apprehend the suspects.

“It is evidently an open season for the collection of prized species for taxidermy, and it is clearly not happening just on land but at sea, taking advantage of the scant police resources on land, absent at sea,” Head of Conservation at BirdLife Malta Nicholas Barbara said.

The at-sea hunting season opened on 1st October and it sees over 290 licensed hunters using boats to chase down migrating birds in open water outside three kilometres from the coast, BirdLife wrote.

Meanwhile, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) is proposing for the distance to be shortened to one kilometre, bringing hunters close to the shore.

“It is an unnecessary move which will only serve to decimate more protected birds that might survive the current killing season in Malta, only to face guns also at sea, where enforcement is even more difficult.”

The final incident of this batch saw a colour-ringed Lesser Spotted Eagle killed last Saturday, shortly after being seen in Buskett.

If you have any information on these or similar incidents, BirdLife urges you to assist the police in executing their duties of enforcing hunting illegalities.

Reports can be made by phone to EPU on 119 and to us on 2134 7645/7925 5697 or by email to [email protected].

Do you think that Malta has a problem with illegal hunting?