A pair of Little Egrets have nested in Malta, and for the first time the species has laid eggs here. Three eggs were found in the Salina area, conservation organisation BirdLife Malta (BLM) announced yesterday.
Little Egrets are small, pure white herons that are common migrants over Malta in spring and autumn. They often use the mudflats of areas such as Salina and the Ghadira Nature Reserve to rest and feed before continuing their migration.
Breeding activity at the Salina site was suspected in mid-June by the owner of the land, who informed BLM and invited members of the organisation to visit.
It was then that the presence of a nest containing three eggs was confirmed, but the news was kept under wraps to protect the birds from hunters.
Speaking to The Malta Independent, BLM executive director Tolga Temuge was evidently delighted as he searched for a picture of the bird’s eggs on his laptop.
Mr Temuge said that initially, about four Little Egrets had been spotted in the area, but the numbers had slowly dwindled until just one bird was spotted.
Unfortunately, the eggs did not hatch and BLM believes that proper incubation may not have been possible. The fate of the Little Egret that was last spotted in the area is unknown.
The organisation’s conservation manager, Andre Raine said: “The elegant Little Egret, while common in migration, has never before been reported to have nested locally, making this indeed a breakthrough in bird conservation efforts in Malta.
“This positive development could be attributed to the fact that the spring hunting season was significantly shortened this year and at the same time there was stricter control on illegal hunting.”
Like Night Herons, Little Egrets are popular targets with hunters due to their relative stockiness. Coincidentally, yesterday BLM discovered two Night Herons that had just been shot illegally, Mr Raine told this newspaper.
Although the eggs failed to hatch, the conservation organisation considered this breeding record to be very significant, as it proves that many bird species could breed in Malta, given the chance.
Dr Raine added that additional law enforcement officers would enable a stronger and more effective control of illegal hunting, which could lead to the resurgence of breeding species in Malta.
“These include species such as the Peregrine Falcon and the Barn Owl, which both bred regularly in Malta in the past, but which no longer do so as a result of illegal hunting,” he said.