Man guilty of stealing rare bird eggs

Stolen eggs taken from the collector's home

A collector who was found with more than 100 rare birds' eggs has been ordered to perform community service and pay a £200 fine.

Jason Walker climbed cliffs, swam across lakes and tunnelled into riverbanks to add to his collection.

The 30-year-old from Loughborough, Leicestershire, admitted possessing 145 rare eggs and equipment for stealing them.

He also admitted two charges of possessing kingfisher and little-ringed plover eggs, the rarest in his collection.

Jason Walker will do 140 hours' community service

There are only about 100 pairs of kingfishers in the Leicester area. Walker had taken three of the birds' eggs.

Police and RSPB officials discovered the haul, which included owl, swan and grebe eggs, in a box under a bed at his home.

Loughborough magistrates heard the eggs had been "crudely blown" and many still contained the remains of fully-developed chicks.

Plovers' nests

Elaine Rogers, prosecuting, said the RSPB was concerned about the number of active egg-collectors in the country.

She said there are only around 1,500 pairs of plovers in the UK, adding: "It is against the law to disturb their nests, let alone take eggs from them."

The court heard Walker, a pipelayer, took up collecting as a youngster and had not added to his haul for around three years.

Magistrates, who had considered sending Walker to prison, imposed a 140-hour community service order.