In early 2010, Second Language released a compilation album called Music
and Migration which proffered exclusive new songs by an eclectic
retinue of left-of-centre artists including
Danny Norbury,
Carousell, Peter
Broderick, Hauschka,
Leyland Kirby and Library Tapes. Themed around
issues of avian migration, and the many man-made threats to
international ‘flyways’ as highlighted by the wildlife conservation
charity BirdLife International’s Born to Travel campaign, the album
proved to be both an artistic and public awareness ‘hit’, selling out
its limited edition almost immediately but not before the migratory
awareness ‘message’ had been widely propagated courtesy of healthy media
coverage and supporting concert performances.
True to its name, Music and Migration II is that album’s sequel. Sadly,
despite BirdLife’s International’s Herculean efforts, avian migratory
routes continue to be threatened by the wilfulness and thoughtlessness
of mankind. One particular hotbed of human migratory interference is the
Maltese archipelago, located on one of the three main routes used by
Europe’s breeding birds in their migrations to and from their African
wintering grounds. The islands are particularly important as way
stations in the middle of the Mediterranean and the spring and autumnal
influxes offer spectacular sights; yet, rather than a haven for birds,
Malta is a killing ground which can ‘boast’ the highest density of
hunters and trappers in Europe, and probably the world.
Several of Malta’s breeding birds were wiped out by hunting: the Jackdaw
in the ’50s, the Barn Owl and Peregrine Falcon in the ‘80s. Illegal
hunters now target migratory birds, and an analysis of international
ring recoveries reveals that birds of at least 75 species from 35
countries have been killed in Malta. While common birds such as Barn
Swallows are often shot down for ‘sport’, rarer birds such as Black
Storks are chased by vehicle around the islands and shot down for
inclusion in private taxidermy collections — a practice facilitated by a
local culture of ‘looking the other way’, an under-resourced police
force and a lack of punitive anti-hunter legislation, as generally
enforced in the remainder of the EC.
BirdLife Malta has been campaigning against the illegalities for close
to 50 years now. There are signs of change: the courts have started
issuing more serious sentences and law-abiding hunters and trappers are
taking the first tentative steps to exposing law breakers within their
ranks. Members of the public are becoming increasingly outspoken, and
even active, against the illegal killing.
Music & Migration II aims to help support BirdLife Malta’s campaign
against illegal hunting and raise awareness of the issues by once again
inviting an international coterie of gifted musicians from across a
panorama of styles and genres to contribute new, especially recorded
songs. Migratory birds recognise no national boundaries, and nor does
Second Language; so, here you’ll find music from Great Britain, Japan,
Denmark, France, Germany, Australia and the USA, all of it united (even
the instrumental tracks) by a respect and fascination with the avian
world and a more than passing acquaintance with the resonances contained
in the metaphor ‘free as a bird’.
International support is key to ensuring that the Malta chapter is just
one of a volume, and not the final chapter, in the lives of many birds,
so please lend your support to this noble cause. Find out more here:
www.birdlifemalta.org or www.birdlife.org
‘Music & Migration II’ comes packaged in a fold-out 496mm x 744mm
poster designed by Good Pilot and Jeff Teader. Limited edition of 500
copies.
