A male blackcap is stuck fast to the glue of the limesticks, splayed out across three different sticks and with no hope of escape without our intervention

A few inches away, a female blackcap flutters hopelessly, its feathers becoming more and more stuck with each struggle. This cruel practice is banned in Cyrpus, but with low enforcement of the law and a lack of political will at governmental level, the activity continues in many areas

Limesticks hidden amongst the branches of a carob tree. This is the 'traditional' method of catching songbirds in Cyprus, but has now been superseded by the use of large mist nets which catch birds in their hundreds on an industrial scale

A carob bush is lathered in over 100 illegal limesticks, with an electronic calling device concealed at its base playing the song of blackcap. This will lure in unsuspecting victims into the deadly trap, where they become ensnared upon these glue-covered sticks

Blackcaps are the (illegal) target species consumed for the delicacy dish called 'ambelopoulia' in Cyprus, but tens of other species are also consumed under the banner term of this dish. A scientific review on illegal bird killing across the Mediterranean region, published by BirdLife International in August 2015, estimated that 1.8 MILLION Blackcaps are being illegally trapped and killed each year.

A male blackcap before being freed from the limestick by BirdLife Cyprus and the Cypriot Game and Fauna Service

The bundle of over 100 limesticks collected from this single bush after all the blackcaps were freed from the glue. These illegal traps are confiscated and the perpetrators found and prosecuted where sufficient evidence and information exists

One of the lucky ones. A young male blackcap is given a drop of water before being released, with the hope that it will manage to complete its epic migration and avoid the plethora of dangers it will face along the way

Olive groves such as this can hide a dark and brutal secret in areas of Cyprus where the illegal trapping of songbirds remains rife

This illegal trapping site is added to the GIS database which details all known trapping locations in Cyprus. Collated by those working to tackle this issue, the database helps coordinated efforts in persecuting those still carrying out this illegal activity, and has led to dramatic reductions in some areas such as the British Sovereign Base Areas.