Storks have long been considered a prize catch on the island even though they were added to the list of protected birds in 1980, according to a veteran ornithologist who says rebel hunters must learn to follow the rules.

At least four protected white storks were shot down on Friday, just a few hours after landing on the island. A 41-year-old man from Dingli was arraigned over the weekend and charged with killing three of them. Other storks were reported shot this week. 

Two pelicans shot down on Comino in November 1957.

Another two were gunned down on Wednesday.

The dead birds formed part of a flock of about 25 that landed close to Mtarfa and later flew towards Dingli just before dark.

Photos of a dead stork left behind by a fleeing hunter went viral on social media, with many questioning how one could point a gun on such a magnificent bird.

Ornithologist Natalino Fenech said that, not so long ago, the shooting of rare birds made headlines in Malta, but not in the way one might expect.

“Shooting down such a bird made you the talk of the town. You would be featured in a newspaper and might even make it to the 8 o’clock TV news. Today, it features in the news but as a tragedy,” he said.

“In no way am I making excuses for those who shoot protected birds today, of course,” Dr Fenech was quick to add.

Kaċċaturi San Ubertu president Mark Mifsud Bonnici said that in traditional hunting lore, bagging a large bird was something of a feat: “This might help shed some light on the mentality of some who shoot a bird like this.

“I'm not saying it justifies their behaviour, but it might help some to understand why this sort of thing still happens today and why some seek out these types of birds,” he said.

Both Mr Mifsud Bonnici and Dr Fenech said that stork sightings had increased dramatically in recent years.

Storks used to be spotted singly or in small flocks of up to five birds, rather than the large groups of 20 or 30 being seen today.

This, Dr Fenech said, was partly thanks to breeding programmes but also attributable to changing migration patterns.

Some of the earliest local ornithological literature, published in 1843 by Antonio Schembri, the first Maltese ornithologist, says that white storks were rather rare. In 1916, Giuseppe Despott, a later ornithologist, said  that white storks were “a rare straggler” on the Maltese islands and went on to record two that had been shot at Birżebbuġa in April 1916.

Shot of a century: newspaper clippings once reported shooting rare species and large birds of prey as an accomplishment.

Dr Fenech said the increase in the number of storks was due to reintroduction and breeding programmes abroad, changing migration patterns and different hunters’ attitudes.

“A mere 10 years ago, hunters would have first greeted them at sea and the little that remained would be gunned down upon reaching land. We see more of them now also because fewer of them are being shot locally,” Dr Fenech said.

“There are also evident changes in migration patterns. Not only are we seeing more of them but we are seeing them in months when hardly any used to be spotted in the past. Over the past few years, we had a record in July and sporadic records in August up to 2005, when 26 were shot over a two-day period. This year is a record, with 73 white storks and two black storks so far,” he said.

“We need to keep pushing for change. The majority of hunters today see the storks and admire them. Some may refrain from shooting, as they are convinced they should not do so.

“Others may fear fines or jail terms,” Dr Fenech said.

A few, however, would still shoot, whether the season was open or not. The authorities, Dr Fenech said, had to reach out to convert these people too.

“Thinking out of the box and finding ways of involving them in projects that keep them close to birds may actually do more than many other campaigns elsewhere would achieve,” he said.