Gregory Wheal, described by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as the country's most-convicted egg collector, was arrested after a small stash of peregrine falcon and raven eggs was found hidden in his home in Coventry, about 150 kilometres northwest of London, last year.

Wheal, 44, has eight previous convictions for egg-related offenses stretching back to 1987, but the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says he is one of hundreds of British men whose all-consuming hobby is stalking wild birds, raiding their nests, and keeping the eggs in elaborate, secret collections.

'This is a particularly British perversion, and particularly male,' said Mr Grahame Madge, a spokesman for the society. He said eggers could travel thousands of kilometres in an effort to feed their obsession, planning attacks on remote nests 'like a military operation'. Wheal himself was found with climbing irons when authorities raided his home.

'It's just a very sad hobby,' Mr Madge said, explaining that the collectors' hunger had dealt serious damage to Britain's wild bird population.

'It's something that seems to, in some individuals, just ignite a spark in them, and it develops into a lifelong passion,' Mr Madge said. -- AP