Gulls eggs

[EMDEE]

Does anybody in Kintyre still collect gulls eggs?

There used to be an annual pilgrimage to the Eenans by many people for this purpose. Angus Martin's book "Kintyre The Hidden Past" covers this in some detail.

I ask this because the traditional time for this is coming up, i.e. the first weekend in May.

Anybody still do this? or if you don't collect eggs, do you still go for the hike?

Mind you, the way things are going we might all soon be eating a lot worse than gulls eggs.

I believe they are very good for baking.

[History]

Emdee

It says on the RSPB site:-

"The maximum penalty that can be imposed for an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act - in respect of a single bird, nest or egg - is a fine of up to £5,000, and/or six months' imprisonment"

I can't find anything that says Gulls are excluded? They may be I don't know but I know in England that you need a licence to collect certain Gull species eggs.

History

[EMDEE]

It did cross my mind that this practice is possibly now illegal, although gulls are hardly an endangered species.

On doing a Google search, there appear to quite a lot of specialist food companies selling gulls eggs, which suggests that it is not illegal to collect them.

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Seems a bit fishy.

[Bitter End]

easter close enough - early ?? --- but Ah remember them as a wee bit strong. sum wi the start o feathers------ but dinna try the wans thit float !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was eggs that wir free , an damn guid eatin an thers still plenty gulls -- jist niver quite managed tae develop a seine net or a trawl tae wipe thim oot !!!!!! however thers still time

[petewick]

Last time I heard of this was being carried out on an extensive scale was
on Gigha in the early 1990's.

[nimps]

I've been interviewing ex-miners who worked at Argyll Colliery for a film that I'm making and the the collecting of gull eggs came up a few times when we talked about leisure time and what miners did at weekends. It seems that the beginning of May, the miners, and no doubt other folks from Drumlemble and Machrihanish would go round the Eenans to collect gull eggs. These were fried and enjoyed in a roll before a game of football or rounders. Apparently yes, the eggs were good for baking and some of the people who collected eggs sold them to the local bakeries in Campbeltown. One ex-miner described them as having "a taste of their own - they were very good" and another said, "when you were young and you'd just walked all the way there (The Eenans) you'd eat anything!"