A rare bird’s egg collected from a tree in Bedfordshire by an amateur ornithologist which went on to be placed third in The Nation’s Greatest Find 2010 competition will be one of the star lots in an upcoming London auction.
The egg is of a Long-billed Murrelet, a species of Auk, and is only the second recorded in Europe. It is expected to sell for £600-800 in the auction, which is organised by a division of Sotheby’s and will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday July 3-4 with public viewing at 45 Maddox Street W1 on Thursday June 28 from 10am-4.30pm or by previous arrangement.
“It is a most beautiful egg,” said the man who found it, who asked not to be named. “I’ve been egg collecting for about 10 years and it’s among the best things I’ve ever found. When I heard about the competition, I had no hesitation in entering it and I was thrilled when it came third.”
The competition, which took place at the HQ of English Nature is organised annually by The Egg Collector, a specialist magazine for people involved in the hobby. The judges included the Head and Deputy Head of English Nature. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey paid a visit during the judging.
The egg had been reported to English Nature as required and the money raised by the sale will be divided between the finder and the owner of the tree.
Anyone that is indignant or incredulous that their taxes are being used to promote the seeking of national assets for personal gain and the positive encouragement of such a desperately crass, low-brow, uncultured, anti-society process should read this.
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More Heritage Action views on metal detecting and artefact collecting
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The Heritage Journal 
26 comments
Comments feed for this article
24/06/2012 at 14:56
John
I can’t believe that a rare egg has been officialy endorsed as a competition winner!!. Is this actually legal?
Pure madness and the authorities should step in and put a halt to this.
24/06/2012 at 18:10
heritageaction
Exactly. Pure madness. Nothing like that should ever happen. Trouble is, something identical IS happening and it’s the authorities that are orchestrating it!
24/06/2012 at 18:39
Floyd Fan
Uh? How did egg collecting end up on a Heritage preservation journal?
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of egg collecting can we please keep the journal to the intended subject of heritage. There is enough crap to wade through on the net without this one wandering ‘off topic’
24/06/2012 at 21:52
heritageaction
Hi Floyd.
If you click on the link at the end of the article you’ll see it’s not off-topic at all. Far from it!
25/06/2012 at 11:20
Denise Hooper
The Long-billed Murrelet is found in the Pacific and being a sea bird does not nest in trees so I think someones leg is being pulled regarding the article.
Denise
25/06/2012 at 17:28
Emma
The analogy of egg collecting seems to be lost on some of the population jeeze!
25/06/2012 at 20:50
heritageaction
Denise, two have been recorded in Europe and yes, despite being a sea bird it often nests in hollows in old trees, often many miles inland!
However, as Emma has seen, not a single word of this article is about birds!
26/06/2012 at 12:07
Oilysean
It doesn’t seem to have a long bill despite its name suggesting so. If only two have been recorded in Europe then i’m guessing they must have been blown off course and lost rather than visiting as per migration patterns. If someone found and egg from one in the UK it’s no wonder it is expected to sell for so much as that is one very rare egg. I wonder what it will eventually sell for at auction?
26/06/2012 at 13:41
heritageaction
THERE AIN’T NO BIRD! It’s a metaphor. Or parable. About metal detecting.
26/06/2012 at 16:42
Derek Watson
OilySean – I doubt an egg would ever reach that value at auction. Possibly as part of a greater collection but individual eggs never sell for much so my guess would be a couple of hundred quid at most. How do I know?, my late father was an avid egg collector and after his passing we had to sell his collection and I was surprised by how little the collection actually sold for in the end.
26/06/2012 at 20:08
Jonty
How the hell can an EGG for god sakes be the nations 3rd greatest find????
27/06/2012 at 07:03
heritageaction
Aaaaargh!
27/06/2012 at 10:11
Claire
Why are we discussing a birds egg on a Heritage Journal?
27/06/2012 at 11:44
heritageaction
See above!
27/06/2012 at 12:41
Paul Barford
Somehow I think the analogy is lost on some readers here, probably because they commented without checking the link, i.e., actually READING what you were writing about.
This is not exactly rocket science, but it seems more and more people these days are having difficulty following an argument when you do not tell them outright what to think.
[Mr Watson, unless your dad died before the wildlife and countryside act came into force, the reason you may not have raised much money is the sale of such items is illegal, and always was immoral http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/law/old_collections/disposing.aspx ].
27/06/2012 at 14:19
Emma
I got it!!
But I must say, I was reading the article wondering why an egg was being talked about but when I got to the end it sort of made sense to me (but not the best or clearest of analogies -sorry)
For most people, it is probably best just to actually post what you want to say and not wrap it up in ambiguous analogous contexts
27/06/2012 at 14:54
heritageaction
Fair enough.
The intention though was to make people really furious about collecting eggs from nests and selling them – which is illegal, and then getting them to realise that collecting antiquities from archaeological sites and selling them is equally shameful – but legal. We live in a country that disrespects its buried archaeology more than any other does and the sooner we get in line with everywhere else the better.
27/06/2012 at 15:00
Claire
Why do you need to make people furious about egg collecting when it is already illegal? I for one would never get involved in any shape or form with egg collecting, not because it doesn’t interest me but because I abide by the law. Always have done and always will.
27/06/2012 at 15:16
heritageaction
“Why do you need to make people furious about egg collecting…..”
For the reason so clearly stated already!
27/06/2012 at 17:29
Emma
I don’t think people get furious over egg collecting, just dismayed that certain people endanger the propagation of our native bird species. It’s interesting how most of the egg collectors who feature in the news seem to be loner types and socially inept, so perhaps it is a trait of OCD sufferers or those with Aspergers Syndrome?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/13/prolific-egg-thief-700-jailed
The chap in the link above was described as a loner. Perhaps these people substitute the collection of eggs for normal social interaction? Peregrine Falcon are apparently the most raided nests, which is a real shame as they are truly stunning birds and for those who enjoy trivia, they are the planets fastest living thing, reaching speeds of 155mph in a stoop (dive)
27/06/2012 at 18:32
heritageaction
And on the increase thankfully.
27/06/2012 at 20:23
Paul
Hi Guys
If anyone is ever down in South Herefordshire and wants to see Peregrine Falcons in the wild then make a trip to Symonds Yat where there is a viewing area with RSPB members and free use of powerful telescopes to watch them nesting in the cliffs opposite. If you are lucky you can get to see one swoop down and take a pigeon mid air – Truly awesome to watch.
28/06/2012 at 06:01
heritageaction
Yes, been there years ago, a truly amazing place.
28/06/2012 at 09:56
George
If there really was a long billed Murrelet in the UK then every twitcher worth his salt would be there in an instant.
i can’t see anything on the Sothebys website so have you any details/link ?
28/06/2012 at 11:12
Tim
Isn’t there a link at the end of the article that makes it all crystal clear?
18/09/2012 at 21:59
Hilaree newbold
I stumbled across an old military trunk from the 1800’s about 7years ago. Inside I was puzzled to find several boxes from cuban cigar boxes to old ammunition boxes full of eggs! On every box it tells where and when the eggs were collected, and some ive never opened due to the miticulous way they are wrapped in twine. They are amazing and im trying to find someone to tell me what they all are. Some marked, some not….. If anyone can please let me know