European Bee-eater - a migrant from the Northern Hemisphere

It is early autumn in South Africa and soon the migrants will be preparing to leave our shores.  Many South African birds are intra-African migrants (i.e. they travel to central or northern Africa where they overwinter) but others hail from Europe and Asia, travelling back to their countries of origin to breed.  Some 170 bird species regularly migrate over the tiny island of Malta, where they are often in danger of being gunned down; the island has some 15 000 hunters and bird trappers notwithstanding its small size and has opened the spring hunting season every year since joining the EU in 2004.  This is not permitted under the EU Birds Directive because this is the breeding season and an opportunity for birds to replenish their numbers.  However, law enforcement is underresourced and unable to control the scale of illegal hunting.

Unless the migratory “flyways” over the Mediterranean Sea are protected, conservation initiatives in both Europe and Africa are in vain – despite the millions of Euros spent on protecting wild birds and their habitats to ensure the future of our avian friends.  When the birds reach Malta, they are at their weakest.  Many attempt to rest on the island to feed and build up their strength for the remainder of their journey.  Instead, many are killed.  Last September, volunteers and members of local conservation organizations found the remains of over 200 protected birds buried in a woodland used as a hunting ground.  The birds included marsh harriers, honey buzzards and night herons. 

BirdLife Malta is an organization that is in the front line to stop illegal hunting of birds on the island.  Their staff and volunteers have been intimidated, suffered criminal damage, arson attacks and violence.  However, the organization has not given up and continues to work under very difficult circumstances.

How you can help:  Visit www.birdlifemalta.org and sign the petition on the web site.  This scourge must be stopped if the plethora of Northern Hemisphere species currently visiting southern Africa during our summer (Sept – April) are to continue to make their way here in any sort of numbers.