The good, the bad and he's ugly: an enduring image

I wanted to have an image today that was both positive but expressed the issue. So I had to do a composite. On the left is a Marsh Harrier flying out to sea and onto Africa, and on the right s a hunter with his back to a nature reserve (Mizieb). He'd claim he was hunting turtle dove or quail, but in the field in front of him are a group of people collecting edible snails, and they have and will be there for a couple of hours. His real goal is probably a raptor, which he hopes will leave the roost and then he will probably illegally shoot one.

Sadly for him me and my Raptor Camp Colleague Francesc arrived on the top of the ridge and started filming. He got fed up after 10 minutes and left. 10 minutes later the Marsh Harrier soared overhead in the morning sunshine.

This is one that definitely got away, it felt a good way to end the week. There are other things happening here though, and it will be worth keeping an eye on the Birdlife Malta Website. I can't say what ;-)