It had apeared that egg thief Colin Watson had given up for good. Certainly, he had already made his reputation as one of the most notorious thieves of rare bird's eggs here in the UK. But, for all that, he wasn't very good. He had convictions for egg theft spanning over 14 years, and had paid over £4,600 in fines. Most people would have taken that as a warning to give up. But not Colin.

To be fair to him, he probably hadn't stolen much for 10 years. At any rate, he didn't get caught.

But then he saw a nest perched up in a tree, and he simply couldn't resist the urge to go up and have a look. The were just a few slight problems. For a start, at 63, he was more than a bit past it. Also, he had no climbing equipment, no ladder, nothing. AND the nest was just a little out of reach, being 40 feet above the ground.

But that didn't deter old Colin. After all, he was an old hand at this sort of thing, and who needs safety gear when you've done it for 14 years? Surely Colin knew everything there was to know.

Well, it apears he didn't know nearly as much as he thought he did. Many eggs have been splatted by humans, now it was the egg's turn for revenge. Colin reached about three quarters of the 40 feet while trying to reach the top of the tree, before he plunged to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Submitted on 05/26/2006

Submitted by: Iain Macdonald
Reference: BBC News

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
While simple falls from trees don't generally qualify for a DA, the unique background of our victim and his incorrigible compulsion for stealing eggs make this one a bit different...almost cartoony! I'll let it pass. The readers should at least see this one!

Greg said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Hmmmm... the RSPB would be secretly pleased, I'm sure. Kinda got what he deserved.

Jorge said:
Definitely Toss: Not Amusing

Fitzroy said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Casually flipping through the pile I noticed many submissions on this. Yet it is the first in the moderator's queue for me at least. I believe this would make for a fine DA because of the karmic angle, and this appears to be the first submission related to that incident.

Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award

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