The ministry has already passed legislation and launched several initiatives to protect endangered birds, especially threatened species such as the Karowan, which are commonly known as the stone curlew.

"The public is urged to report any such illegal practices posing a grave risk to the environment on toll free No 8003722745 as per the Executive Council decision No 9/2012," he said, noting that the ENRAS, late in August last year, sized eight similar traps fortrapping stone curlew birds.

Lucky ones might also see wood sandpiper, Temminck's stint, black redstart and even a stone curlew that have also been known to turn up at this time of year.

Only around 400 stone curlew pairs are in the UK, and the last two years have been poor for breeding.

His identification to sub-specific status for Desert Wheatear and (Persian) Stone Curlew may be open to question since even today, seventy years later, some of these races are little studied and their field identification is likely to be tentative rather than definite.

Another rare visitor was a stone curlew - the first since an individual was shot in 1890 and another was found dead on the islands in 1950.

A stone curlew was seen on Hilbre and flew towards Wales - so could turn up again.

The birds have either increased their populations or range, as a result of improvements in management of farmland for stone curlew and heathland for woodlark, or more has been discovered about their numbers, as in the case of the Scottish crossbill.

He admitted having an illegal collection of more than 850 eggs, including 32 of the most rare breeds, stone curlew, kingfisher, little-ringed plover and little tern.

These included osprey, little tern, avocet, black-tailed godwit, stone curlew, corncrake, chough and peregrine falcon.