A heartbreaking sight greeted those who drove through Mosta’s town square this evening, with birds circling in search of their nests which used to be in the leaves and branches of trees which adorned the area.

Those trees were butchered on Monday morning as part of a ‘landscaping plan’ which the local council announced less than 12 hours prior.

The Ficus trees had been standing for over 50 years and provided a green lung and shade to passers-by in the busy town square.  They have now been ‘butchered’ – as environmental NGOs put it – and are set to be transplanted to Santa Margerita elsewhere in Mosta.

The action, which had the blessing of the ERA and a unanimous vote from the local council, was roundly criticised by environmentalists and by BirdLife Malta which explained how the destruction of the trees also meant the destruction of the nests of several bird species.

That was clear on Monday evening as those same birds circled the remains of the trees in search of their nests: a search which will bear no fruit.