Egging a way of life! (1 Viewer)

I just happened to be looking after my Grandchildren this week, and while we were watching it's a different life, it's about various Travellers, tinkers, Gypsies, Showmen, Circus folk etc, on five.

On Tuesday I think it was the filming was done at Appleby Horse Fair, very interesting to watch, although a most interesting point was made in a piece to camera in the closing stages from a young traveller, trying to explain how they spend their time, now he claimed to be too busy with his Horses to play around with his pals, "you know" he says "egging and that".

Now given that there are thousands of travellers kids roaming our woods and hedgerows, and that if egging is a usual pastime, I wonder just how many nests do they destroy each year?

Is taking the eggs of migratory birds legal in the U.K? It is illegal in the United States and it is a felony to sell the eggs or nests of migratory birds. Although enforcement is problematic.
I gather that it used to be considered a proper natural history activity for youngsters.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

Pinewood said:

Is taking the eggs of migratory birds legal in the U.K? It is illegal in the United States and it is a felony to sell the eggs or nests of migratory birds. Although enforcement is problematic.
I gather that it used to be considered a proper natural history activity for youngsters.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

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It is illegal to take eggs in the UK, the fines are supposed to be harsh, however our legal system is such that fining someone beyond their economic means, that would lead to undo hardship, that might perpetuate further crimes to pay the existing one is not done.

The travellers that I referred to mainly live on the edge of the law anyway, and are not often held accountable for their wrong doings.

Where I was living a few months ago, one of the household cars was stolen by the local "travellers" and the police did not care. The travellers get away with too much.

pete1950 said:

Now given that there are thousands of travellers kids roaming our woods and hedgerows, and that if egging is a usual pastime, I wonder just how many nests do they destroy each year?

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It's not only egging but also bird-trapping for the caged finch market.

Slightly off-topic: I remember, some years ago, regularly seeing an old fellow slowly walking his dog around the local fields, always along the hedgerows, frequently stopping and investigating something in the hedgerow. I happened to 'scope him in 'action' one day; he was feeding the contents of hedgerow nests to his dog!!!

Andy.

I hope you gave him a piece of your mind, Andrew.