A Man In England Was Caught Stealing Two Nightjar Eggs From A Nest At A Nature Reserve, And When Police Searched His Home, They Found Thousands Of Eggs On His Property

Lucille Ryan Images - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
Lucille Ryan Images - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Most thieves like to steal expensive fine jewelry or electronics like phones and computers that they can quickly resell for a profit.

However, one man’s preferred choice of stolen goods is wild bird eggs.

In England, a 71-year-old man from Norfolk named Daniel Lingham was given a suspended sentence and ordered to go through a mental health treatment program for 12 months after he was caught taking two nightjar eggs from a nest at Holt Lowes Nature Reserve last year. A wildlife camera captured him committing the crime.

When police searched his home after the most recent incident, they found thousands of eggs on his property.

In total, there were 2,995 eggs, and 2,429 of them were protected under the U.K.’s Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Furthermore, 548 out of the 2,429 eggs were from birds on the amber list of birds where their conservation is a concern.

Additionally, 546 were on the red list, which contain birds of the most serious concern.

Behind the bath panel in Lingham’s home, he had stored a box with the nightjar eggs he was caught stealing.

Aside from the collection of eggs, the police discovered binoculars, books about bird egg identification, and an egg-blowing kit.

Lucille Ryan Images – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Lingham admitted to five offenses at a hearing earlier this year. It also wasn’t the first time he was found guilty of such a crime. Previously, Lingham had been convicted for collecting eggs illegally in 2005 and 2018.

In 2005, Lingham was jailed for 10 weeks after police uncovered 4,000 eggs in his home. In 2018, he was spotted removing eggs from the ground.

He received an 18-week prison sentence and a 10-year Criminal Behavior Order for amassing more than 5,000 eggs.

His defense attorney claimed that his practice of collecting wild bird eggs was an addiction and a mental health issue.

The prosecuting attorney in Lingham’s third and newest case echoed the same thought, saying that Lingham “could not help himself due to his addiction.”

Still, Lingham has singlehandedly done irreparable damage to the populations of several threatened bird species.

Wildlife officials worry that the punishment he receives for this latest incident may not be enough to discourage him from continuing to commit these offenses.

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Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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