Un voleur d'oeufs meurt en tombant d'un arbre...

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Egg thief dies in fall while searching tree for nests


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Emma Dunlop


A NOTORIOUS egg thief has plunged to his death in South Yorkshire while looking for rare bird eggs.
South Yorkshire Police said Colin Watson, from Selby, North Yorkshire, was three-quarters of the way up a 40ft larch tree in Doncaster when he fell to his death.


The 63-year-old had been walking with a friend in woods in Churchfield Road, Campsall, when he climbed the tree to examine a nest.Ambulance crews were called out but Mr Watson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Grahame Madge, from the RSPB, said: "He was a renowned egg collector and was more than a little bit of a nuisance to us.
"He was frequently caught taking eggs from some of the rarest birds.
"His claim to fame, or infamy, is that he tried to cut down a tree with a chainsaw in Loch Garten in Scotland in 1986 which contained an osprey nest.
"He has been an active egg collector for many years. Egg collection is an illegal hobby but it is still pursued by some people.
"There are a number of very eager egg collectors in the UK and he was one of them.
"They target the nests of some of the most rare breeding birds and steal their eggs.
"Colin had been prosecuted a number of times to our knowledge. I think he was one of our most prosecuted egg collectors."Father-of-three Mr Watson, a former power station worker of Garmancarr Lane, Wistow, near Selby, was the owner of one of Britain's biggest private collections of birds' eggs, many of which were confiscated by the RSPB following a raid on his home in 1985.
More than 2,000 eggs, including those of the golden eagle, osprey, sparrowhawk and the red kite, were found at his home and that of his disabled son.
During a court case before Selby magistrates in April 1985, where he was fined £1,700, Watson claimed all but 16 of the eggs had been gathered before the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act came into force banning such collection.
He said some dated back to his school days and others had been handed down to him.
In December, 1985, he successfully appealed against his prosecution for illegally possessing the eggs – but did not get his collection back.
Mr Madge added: "This is a very tragic incident and we would not have wanted him to end his career in such a terrible way.
"It must be a great shock to his friends and family but he was a notorious egg collector.
"Hopefully. some birds will be a bit more secure now."
Police said last night that Mr Watson's death is not being treated as suspicious.
A post-mortem examination is expected to take place later today.
A force spokeswoman said: "Police were called to woods near to Askern Swimming Pool, Churchfield Road, Campsall, Doncaster, due to ambulance staff attending the scene.
"A call was received regarding a 63-year-old male from the Selby area falling from a tree.
"He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"CID were called to the scene and ascertained that there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances."

26 May 2006
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1527690