Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) teams were able to film a total of 19 poachers pursuing their illegal hobby, the organisation said in a statement, adding that trapping is completely prohibited in spring.

"All offenders were filmed in the act and subsequently reported to the police. In most cases officers attended quickly and managed to apprehend the poachers on their trapping sites."

CABS published an interim report of their field operations against illegal bird trapping this spring.

According to CABS, a total of 40 sets of clap nets, 10 electronic bird callers and 85 live finches were seized during the operations.

"19 men were identified and will face charges."

 Among them is also an old "acquaintance" of CABS who was reported in the past for the same offence as well as for exposing his private parts to the conservationists, the organisation said, adding that the case was time-barred due to lost transcripts.

CABS also said that many poachers re-used sites registered in autumn as "live capturing stations" for the so-called "finch research project" which is being overseen by the Government´s Wild Bird Regulation Unit (WBRU). "The cases from this spring add to the mountain of evidence proving that this so-called 'science project' is nothing more than a smokescreen designed for the sole purpose of protecting and appeasing poachers to secure their votes", CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said.