Protected birds 'shot'

In spite of stern warnings by the police about illegal hunting, hunters were still shooting at protected birds ranging from birds of prey and herons to small birds such as swallows, bird watchers told The Times.

A black kite and several harriers were shot in Burmarrad and Bidnija last night and bird watchers who were in the area found their car vandalised with paint remover.

The bird watchers said they also saw a man teaching a young boy how to use a shotgun by shooting at swallows.

The bird watchers said they heard "a barrage of shots" from Dwejra at a flock of five pallid harriers on March 26 and three kestrels were seen, one without a tail, another with a cartridge tied to one of its legs and another with a piece of cloth tied to a leg.

"These birds are likely to die a slow lingering death when whatever is tied to their legs gets entangled in trees where they perch," they said.