Mr. Neil alerted me to this interesting story:

The day Britain's most notorious egg collector climbed his last tree

Birder falls to his death from larch tree while checking out unusual nest

Martin Wainwright
Saturday May 27, 2006
The Guardian

Colin Watson's prey was precious, rare and hidden in dangerous places. And on a windy afternoon this week his risk-taking finally caught up with him.

While a friend watched in horror, Watson, 63, lost his grip on the slender trunk of a 12-metre (40ft) larch tree he had climbed to check out yet another unusual bird's nest. The former power station worker tumbled to the ground in woods in south Yorkshire, a region where collectors have often played hide-and-seek with police. Paramedics arrived soon afterwards but the father-of-three had suffered massive injuries and was declared dead at the scene.

Here's the rest of the article here. Do read it, it's an incredible story. This guy had been convicted, fined and even had his gigantic illegal collection taken away, yet he still continued! There are many great people in the birding field, and like all activities, there are a few who just don't make us look good. That's a shame.

Speaking of eggs, I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for Carrol Henderson's book to come out about a history of egg collecting in the United States and how it shaped bird watching. I think it's supposed to come out in the fall. Woot.