by JULIE WILSON

A STAGGERING 20 000 migratory birds are shot by "wildfowlers" [bird shooters] in Barbados every year.

According to university lecturer and conservationist Dr Karl Watson, bird shooting occurred mainly in St Lucy, St Philip, and Christ Church, and the main species shot were the Lesser Yellowlegs, the Chirp, and Greater Yellowlegs more commonly called Pica.

Today starts bird watching season in Barbados, and Watson said that between ten and 15 per cent of the approximately 300 000 migratory birds that pass through this country from North America were the shooters' target.

Concerned by the large number of birds shot, Watson called on shooters to restrict the "number of birds they shoot during the July 15 to October 15 season".

Watson told the DAILY NATION that although a Wildbirds Protection Act was on the statute books, no one had ever been prosecuted in the law courts.

The shot birds usually end up on the dinner table.

Watson, an avid bird watcher, said the birds used the artificial swamps in the north and south eastern part of the island for drinking water after flying thousands of miles from North America to Barbados. First time

He said bird lovers were also elated about the first recorded breeding of the Southern Lapwing which took place in grasslands in St Lucy.

Watson said he and other environmentalists were also concerned about the threat posed to the newest species of bird visiting the island by shooters.

He explained that these birds from South America not only enhanced the island's bio-diversity but provided new means of insect control.

"While I understand that hunting has been a human pursuit through the ages and has been an established tradition here in Barbados for nearly 400 years, I am appealing to these bird shooters to protect these distinctive birds and give them a chance to establish a viable population here.

"I do not think that wildfowling should be completely banned, but I hope that the bird shooters of Barbados would become more environmentally conscious and responsible," he added. *juliewilson@nationnews.com