’Prolific’ thief found with almost 3,000 rare bird eggs illegally hoarded at home

A prolific egg collector was found to have illegally hoarded housands of rare birds’ eggs in Norfolk. Daniel Lingham, 71, of Newton St Faith pleaded guilty to five offences on Tuesday 20 February including taking eggs from a non-schedule 1 wild bird namely a Nightjar and possessing an egg or its parts of a non-schedule 1 wild bird. The 71-year-old, who has two previous convictions for similar crimes, was caught after on a wildlife trap camera filmed him stealing two eggs from a Nightjar nest in Holt Lowes. A police search found 2995 eggs at his home, including some of non-native species and 2429 native birds’ eggs protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Watch more on Independent TV: Click here to subscribe to The Independent: About The Independent: Making Change Happen. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analy