[WATCH] BirdLife monitors save injured Grey Heron

X-Ray imaging did not locate any shotgun pellets lodged in the injured bird, leaving the vet unable to confirm whether or not it had been shot.

BirdLife monitors save Grey Heron at sea

A Grey Heron was rescued at San Niklaw, Siggiewi, after the bird fell into the water due to an injury.

BirdLife volunteers, acting on a tip-off from the public, were accompanied by a MaltaToday journalist on Saturday to the spot where the injured Grey Heron was found.

The source said that the bird was seen floating at sea, 24 hours before it was reported injured.

Once recovered from the sea, the injured bird was found to be in a piteous state. Weak and bleeding profusely from the mouth, it was having severe difficulty breathing, making worrying gurgling sounds. A Birdlife volunteer managed to wrap the panicked bird in a sweater and covered its eyes which seemed to calm it down, making it easier to transport to the veterinary clinic.

X-Ray imaging did not locate any shotgun pellets lodged in the injured bird and so the vet was unable to confirm whether or not it had been shot. The Heron’s condition later improved and it was released at Ghadira nature reserve some hours after being recovered.

Joining a patrol of BirdLife monitors at 5am on Saturday morning, two gunshots were heard at 7am, although a shooter could not be positively identified. A car from the Administrative Law Enforcement was sighted in the area at 8am.

The Prime Minister has shuttered the autumn hunting season over public outrage on poaching.

BirdLife’s conservation manager Nick Barbara has described the cooperation of the public as encouraging. “Most tip-offs are coming from the public,” he said.

But hunters are also becoming more sophisticated and coordinated in their efforts at evading enforcement. “They hide their shotguns, take two or three shots and then hide it again, because they know they are being observed.”

BirdLife spokesperson Rupert Masefield said the situation had improved compared to the past three years. “We have hardly seen any hunters this season, but this is unheard of. It means that only a handful of diehards are risking going out to hunt [during the hunting ban]. Probably it’s the same person as the modus operandi - two, three shots then disappears – is the same. It’s definitely a vast improvement, but there will always be the odd hunter breaking the law.”

Masefield said that ideally, it should be the ALE actively investigating illegal hunting. “As it stands, they mostly react to reports. They should be trying to weed out these people.”

On Tuesday, a flock of around 150 Bee Eaters flew over an area monitored by BirdLife volunteers. “Not one was shot at. You can just go out and enjoy the birds. This is how it should be.”

Birdlife's annual Raptor Camp serves two primary roles: monitoring bird migration by recording the species, number and direction of migratory birds and monitoring hunting. “Birds of prey primarily roost in groups in wooded areas, so we try to locate and monitor the roosting sites at dusk and dawn,” Masefield said.

People were observed in and around hides at notorious trapping sites, however it must be stressed that no nets were seen to have been set up at those sites.  This would make the activity seen be possibly suspicious but definitely not illegal.