Thanks for your post John and some excellent birds spotted! It's nice to hear the positives about what is being done to improve the situation giving a more balanced impression of the place. Henry.
I have just returned from a first visit to Malta, not particularly for the birding but this was an enjoyable part of my time on the island.
We stayed in the north part of Malta near the Marfa ridge where most of the shooting seems to go on. On our first walk along the ridge we were reassured by the sight of three policemen patrolling its length about 100 metres apart, evidently on the look out for shooters. Further on, however, we heard the sickening sound of gun fire and spent cartridges were everywhere. We simply did not feel safe going anywhere off the roads and I did not hold out much hope for the pair of Honey Buzzards flying over the woodlands.
In contrast we paid a visit to the Ghadira nature reserve. This is a small wetland area, a bit like a small Pennington Flash with a couple of hides. On entering the reserve we were greeted like long lost friends by the attendant who couldn't wait to show us the Glossy Ibis that had just dropped in. Spoonbill, Black-Winged Stilt, Little Stint, Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper were also present on the water while the surrounding areas were alive with Cetti's Warbler, Wood Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Bee-eater, Collared Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher and Zitting Cisticola to name just a few species. The other hide was full of locals whose only interest in shooting birds was through the lens of a camera. But gun fire could be heard just a short distance away outside the reserve.
On returning to the information centre I asked the attendant why the reserve was only open at weekends. He informed me that parties of school children were taken round during the week and indeed a party of youngsters came through while I was there - noisy, excitable but interested. Education is surely the answer to the disgraceful situation in Malta. The more youngsters who can be taught to enjoy wildlife for its own sake the better it will be for the future of all our birds. I suspect that little can be done to change the minds of hardened bird shooters and trappers but with the right sort of education the next generation might be more enlightened.
