Swans leave Marsalforn Valley after month and a half

The 12 mute swans which had sheltered in Marsalforn Valley, Gozo, since 1 January, have taken off this morning, according to ornithologist Natalino Fenech.

Their departure was observed by members of the Facebook group Birds in the Maltese Islands some time after 7:00am.

Volunteers have been monitoring their stay on the island, observing that they occasionally took flight and returned to the same spot.

BirdLife Malta volunteers had been feeding the swans a fodder composed of legumes and cereals. Volunteers from hunting federation FKNK had also been feeding and caring for the swans.

“This was another example of the changes that have taken place over the past few years," Fenech wrote on the Facebook group. "The hunters, especially the Gozitan hunters, took care of [the swans] as if they were their own," he added, extending congratulations to all those invovled in their care.

Ornithologist Natalino Fenech said that the swans had flown away on the Facebook group Birds in the Maltese Islands

BirdLife Malta had called on the public to stop feeding the swans, citing the swans’ health. Public access to the site had been limited after the birds displayed signs of distress because of all the public attention they were attracting.