Tuesday 24 July 2012

Peregrines shot in Malta and a radio programme

Note: for newcomers to this blog, the Derby peregrine breeding season has ended, the four young have fledged and begun to move away. You will still see birds, usually the adults, from time to time on the web cams so it is worth looking. This blog and all three cameras will keep running right through the year. Check out Video 3 which is fully live with sound.
To read about the later stages of the breeding season, scroll down a few posts to late June.
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Update: a 30 minute programme about Bird Hunting in Malta, the first of two, will be broadcast at 11am on Tuesday 31st July on BBC Radio 4.
News has come in that the male of a pair of peregrines nesting in Malta has been shot by illegal hunters, the

female having been shot earlier in the year.
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/view.aspx?id=361
Should you have any spare cash, I'm sure Birdlife Malta would appreciate a donation:
http://www.birdlifemalta.org/Content/donate/972/
This group fight valiantly against the powerful hunting lobby in Malta. They are making ground slowly but it is an uphill struggle and they do need as much support as they can get. Brave folk those.....
Nick B (DWT)

18 comments:

Phoebe said...

Thanks for the info and link NickB.

I read the news on the link and also looked at their page named Springwatch 2012 Malta. It followed through 16 consecutive days to the end of April 2012. The reports daily reports were very upsetting.... what they gain from all this shooting of wild birds is beyond me... !! Well, I'd best not say any more or I will be banned from the site.

Helen said...

Good to see a juvinile peregrine sitting on the tower this morning. Both adult birds were also around yesterday.

Ian (superbrad) said...

Had a couple of hours "08:00 to 10:00" at the Cathedral on Sunday morning it started off with glorious sunshine but after a couple of hours it turned poor with dark clouds and it went chilly the resulting bad light was the reason that I departed early.
Both the adults were around on the center grotesque and left waterspout no juveniles seen around.
Most of the time the Falcon was eating prey on the left hand waterspout whilst the Tercel was on the center grotesque just surveying the surroundings.
She flew south with the prey towards the Westfields Center returning after about 7 mins without the prey.
That just about sums up all the activity during my visit.

You can find a slideshow of the shots below.
The rather poor inflight shots have purposely been left in for reference only.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113923448994663547451/July29thDerbyPeregrines#slideshow/5770557527507191586

Ian.

jan t said...

love the slideshow Ian great shots so nice to see.

Helen said...

Close up view of one of the juveniles on the tower cam this morning.

Nick B (DWT) said...

Male on edge of platform this morning in bright sunlight....guess it won't last!
NB

Anonymous said...

Peregrine on platform - cannot tell whether male or female..lovely sight!!

Phoebe said...

I missed the radio programme!

A nice close up on the tower of the tiercel, I think it is.

Helen said...

For Phoebe and anyone else who missed the radio programme here's the link for it on the 'listen again' page - www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l7sff

AnnieF. said...

One on the tower, one on the scrape ledge lhs.

Phoebe said...

Helen - thank's for the link it was very interesting, I didn't know it was a culture thing. Still sad to know.

There is an adult on the ledge preening in the sunshine!

Phoebe said...

There's an adult on the scrape and another on the tower which looks like it's a juvenile, not sure but the browner looking feathers makes me think it is.

Nick B (DWT) said...

I thought it was a juv too Phoebe.
Nick B

jan t said...

Juvenille on tower adult on scrape 8.45am

Phoebe said...

Two adults on the scrape they seem to be acting strangely! The one on the right doesn't look like on of the pair?

jan t said...

yes i saw that Phoebe and thought the same

Anonymous said...

Back after a long time off on other peregrinations! What awful news from Malta - but it's not just peregrines they kill, some of the Maltese are awful desecrators of birdlife in general. Yes Nick, I most certainly will look to how I can help the good guys guard the birdlife - because actually whose birds are they anyway? Lots of the passage migrants are actually birds that we think of as "our" summer birds. They have a dreadful gamut to run twice a year over the killing fields of quite a number of our European neighbours who we tend to think of as being civilised and enlightened! I hope Birdlife Malta will be at Birdfair that's coming up soon, 17th to 19th August at Rutland. I shall be there - and commend it to all birders, see here http://www.birdfair.org.uk/
I've not really been keeping up too well with the Olympics, but was thrilled to get a ticket to Eton Dorney where I've been birding previously. It was fun seeing what birds braved the madness (not a lot!)
Good peregrinations!

Nick B (DWT) said...

Birdlife Malta will be at Birdfair Sue. See under list of exhibitors:
http://www.birdfair.org.uk/.
Plus lots of other attractions of course.
Nick B (DWT)