Regular readers will probably know of the ‘love-hate’ relationship we here at 10,000 Birds have with Malta’s illegal hunters (we love the birds, hate the freaking illegal hunters - and, yes, they’re not all that keen on us which is something of a badge of honour as far as I’m concerned), and when I was asked by BirdLife Malta’s Geoffrey Saliba whether the blog would be interested in promoting this autumn’s Raptor Camp there was only one answer: you betcha!

Malta is on the European-African migratory flyway, and is a critical area for birds to rest and refuel while undertaking their annual migrations between European breeding grounds and African wintering grounds. Many species of birds of prey pass over the island, including some of Europe’s most threatened raptors (eg Montagu’s Harrier, Eleonora’s Falcon and Lesser Kestrel). Sadly, (some of) Malta’s ‘hunters’ have no respect for little technicalities like the law, legislation forbidding shooting raptors, decency etc etc and many raptors are shot at. Outrageously, just last year a Lesser Spotted Eagle - a protected species showing an alarming decline in many European countries - was shot after hours in a bird sanctuary!

However, thanks to the Raptor Camp the ‘hunters’ don’t get it all their own way anymore.

A member of a volunteer team actually took video of the Lesser Spotted Eagle incident and called the police who arrived shortly after the bird was shot. The team managed to recover the body, and it together with the video evidence helped to convict the two ‘hunters’, who were given one of the harshest sentences handed out to date by a Maltese court of law for wildlife crime (though to be honest it wasn’t nearly harsh enough).

The Raptor Camps are working, but they do need volunteers if they’re to keep on achieving such important results of course. And this year Birdlife Malta is planning to hold the biggest and longest Raptor Camp yet, aiming to maintain a stronger presence in the countryside for three weeks instead of two.

Interested? There are more details about the Raptor Camp on the BirdLife Malta website, but here’s the text that Geoffrey sent me to post:

What is Raptor Camp Malta about?

BirdLife Malta, since the late 1990s, has organised a camp during the annual autumn raptor migration period. Both local and international volunteers join this camp with the express aim to curtail illegal hunting activity and collect data on bird migration. This is no bird watching holiday, but a serious conservation effort!

How long does the camp last?

The camp starts on the 12th September and lasts for just over 3 weeks ending on the 4th October. Volunteers may come for one, two or three weeks depending on their availability and the flight schedule.

What does the camp consist of?

Illegal hunting surveillance and raptor migration monitoring are the two main elements forming the camp. These are carried out every day during the morning and afternoon. As well as monitoring raptor migration, participants will also record migration of a range of other species, including herons, bee-eaters, orioles, thrushes and doves.

When not working on the main Raptor Camp objectives, participants are free to choose from a variety of planned and non-planned activities. These include other conservation work and/or birding-related activities and also other leisure activities such as cultural visits to historic sites, trips to the other Maltese islands, and swimming at the hotel and beaches. In the evening work shops, discussions and films will be organized for the participants.

Join Malta Raptor Camp.
Email raptorcamp@birdlifemalta.org or visit http://www.birdlifemalta.org/conservation/raptorcamp09/ for more information.

(Photo of volunteers copyright James Leonard used with permission)

For more info about Birdlife Malta visit www.birdlifemalta.org.

Join the Birdlife Malta Facebook group www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104604401895#/group.php?gid=46653178878

For more information on our work supporting Birdlife International as Species Champions please go to 10,000 Birds and the ‘Preventing Extinctions Programme’