Marsh Harrier shot

Unfortunately, the Western Marsh Harrier, recently reported on this blog was shot this morning, 11 February. It had strayed south from the small flooded area it had occupied at Providence, possibly due to disturbance or possibly in search of better wetland habitat.  It reached the airport where it was spotted by the Safety Officer.  A sharpshooter from the army was called and the bird was dispatched. The first ever record of this bird in 1888 was also shot by the collector J.J. Lister. So that means 50% of the four Marsh Harriers known to have ever reached Seychelles have been shot, something that is now illegal in many parts of the world, even trigger-happy countries such as Malta.  Very sad.

An ex-Marsh Harrier (Adrian Skerrett)