The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has said that the number of reported crimes in Wales has risen by more than 60 per cent, from 91 incidents in 2005 to 143 in 2006.

The Birdcrime 2006 report shows that the majority of crimes occurred along the North Wales coast making it a "blackspot for wild bird crime", with more than twice as many happening in Denbighshire as in Conwy.

While Wrexham had eight reported incidents in 2006, Blaenau Gwent had one and Anglesey had five, Denbighshire unfortunately topped the list with 30 reported crimes in 2006.

Wendy Johnson, spokeswoman for the RSPB, said: "Shooting and poisoning birds were the two most common wild bird crimes in Wales and we should remember that these numbers are only the amount of incidents and each incident could involve a number of birds.

"There are a number of motives for people to commit bird crimes. Some people with commercial interests in birds – those that raise game or racing pigeons – may want to control the numbers of birds of prey around their areas to protect their own birds.

"Other bird crimes in the report include egg theft, trapping and caging wild birds or deliberately destroying nests.

"It is encouraging that people in Denbighshire are so vigilant and are taking wild bird crime seriously enough to report it to local police wildlife crime officers or the RSPB.

"Hopefully, this will send out the message that wild bird crime reports will be followed up and the perpetrators will be caught out. The fines and sentences that are handed out when people are prosecuted should be a warning to others.

"It would be awful if the persecution of these magnificent birds meant that people were not able to enjoy some of our most beautiful countryside and see these birds in their natural habitat," she added.

The RSPB is now encouraging more people to come forward and inform them of any wild bird crimes they may know of.

They are also advising people of what to do if they find an injured bird and telling people to weigh up the benefits of helping an injured bird before they try to help it.

For instance, a bird with an injured leg is probably best left alone, while a wing injury is serious enough to merit capture and treatment.

An injured bird should always be passed onto a local vet or rescue centre, so it can receive appropriate treatment without undue delay.