ORNITHOLOGIST Fiona Hazelton, 30, spends much of her life looking at birds in the sky, but this week she has flown off on an adventure of her own.

Fiona, from Vange, has headed for Malta on a mission with more than a whiff of combat about it. Her week on the Mediterranean island will involve passion, conflict and some physical danger, experiences not normally associated with birdwatching on the Essex marshes.

The very name Malta, however, is enough to make any birdwatcher's blood bubble like a vat of hot chicken soup. The RSPB has called the Maltese "the villains of Europe as far as bird protection is concerned".

Britons have previously had a soft spot for the island thanks to its heroic war record. But it is bird blackspot number one. Every ornithologist recognises it as murder capital for our feathered friends.

Birds of every description are indiscriminately blasted out of the sky, whether game birds or rare and cherished species like ospreys - creatures British conservationists have laboured long and hard down the decades to preserve from extinction.

"It is a complete tragedy," says Fiona. "For anyone concerned about conservation of species, it is a very big issue. Hunters have got away with carnage for too long and it shouldn't be allowed.

"That's why I'm devoting my holiday to trying to do something about it. There is a chance to make a significant contribution to wildlife conservation. I wouldn't dream of going to Malta just on an ordinary holiday, until the Maltese government starts to obey European law and crack down on bird hunters."

Where ordinary holidaymakers see sunny beaches and azure seas, Fiona sees a massacre zone.

Malta's situation has made it a sanctuary for human seafarers since time immemorial, and for the same reason, it is a major stopping off place for European migration routes. Tired birds make easy targets.

The country has 12,000 registered hunters and 4,500 registered trappers, in a total population of 400,000.

The proportion is six times higher than in any other European country. The hunters have become something of a law unto themselves. "They don't get round EC law, they simply ignore it," Fiona says. "They hunt down birds with total ruthlessness and a complete contempt for any rules."

More than 100 different species of migrating bird land on Malta, imagining it to be a haven. "It is a critical feeding and resting stopover for European migrations," Fiona says. "Tragically, every bird that lands or passes over is fair game as far as the huntsmen are concerned. They keep looking for new ways to kill. Lately they've taken to hiring boats to shoot birds over the sea before they even reach the island."

The huntsmen make no distinction between protected species and commonplace ones. They kill kestrels, honey buzzards, owls, marsh harriers, even eagles," Fiona says. Unlike any other European hunters, who all respect the breeding cycle, the Maltese guns and trappers have no compunction about killing wholesale during the spring breeding season.

Yet if passions are running high among British bird lovers, they are also seething in Malta. Many islanders are incensed at the notion of poncy preservationists who try to interfere with ancient hunting practices woven into the island's history and culture.

The president of the island's sporting association, Lino Farrugia, says: "Hunting has been instilled in our blood for generation after generation.

"Quite simply, it is a way of life. Other Europeans choose not to understand that. I can assure everyone that tension is very high here (in Malta) too."

The stand-off means it's not just the birds that are subject to pot shots. One local anti-hunting campaigner on Malta already claims to have been wounded by a gun blast. Campaigners' cars have been set alight and a nature reserve has been vandalised. The flouting of EC laws is under review by the European courts, but while the legal process grinds its usual slow way, the 2008 spring hunting season is already under way and more birds are dying.

Conservationists from around Europe are converging on the island. They are operating under the umbrella organisation Spring-watch Malta. The prime aim is to monitor migrating birds. The underlying one to disrupt illegal hunting activities.

The response of the Malta hunting fraternity can be imagined. In an ominous statement Mr Farr-ugia said: "We are trying to prevent violent confrontation but it is becoming a manhunt."

This is the cauldron into which Fiona Hazelton is heading. Normally she leads a peaceful if highly committed life as an RSPB employee, based at Wat Tyler Park.

As a member of the South Essex Marshes team, her regular work involves education, outreach, fundraising and leading bird-spotting walks. She has no hesitation in exchanging all that for a week on a battleground.

"Things bird lovers have fought for and stood for over a long period of time are at stake here," she says. "When that happens, if you believe in conservation you have to put yourself on the line."