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50-Year-Old Bird Egg Hoard Discovered in Attic!
16 Apr
Summary
- A 19th-century naturalist's extensive bird egg collection was found.
- The collection was stored in an attic for fifty years.
- The Natural History Museum will now preserve and study the eggs.
A vast collection of bird eggs, assembled over fifty years by 19th-century naturalist Robert Henry Read, has been unexpectedly discovered. The collection, initially part of Castle Espie's historic inventory, was kept safe in an attic for fifty years by the Mackie family after they acquired the site in 1977. It includes meticulously documented specimens, such as snow goose eggs from 1909 and an egg from the Eurasian eagle-owl gathered in Romania in 1891.
Experts from the Natural History Museum in London have described the collection as exceptionally rare and scientifically significant. The museum will now house, study, and preserve these specimens, which offer a unique "time travelling system" into historical bird populations and environments. Read's meticulous notes and the preserved nests and eggs provide crucial data for understanding biodiversity changes and the impacts of climate change over time.
