{"id":5171,"date":"2019-12-05T11:03:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T11:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/?p=5171"},"modified":"2019-12-06T14:37:10","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T14:37:10","slug":"icelandic-egg-collecting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/05\/icelandic-egg-collecting\/","title":{"rendered":"Icelandic Egg Collecting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cliffs and coastlines of Iceland are well known for their stunning array of bird life. From Atlantic puffins to Arctic terns, kittiwakes to common eider, its avian inhabitants make Iceland a must-see for many a wildlife enthusiast.<\/h3>\n

For locals, the presence of the cliff-nesting birds also facilitates a centuries old Icelandic tradition \u2013 seabird egg collecting. Photographer Terry Whittaker has documented this historic (and mildly hazardous) tradition, and tells us about the experience.<\/p>\n

‘I\u2019ve been working on seabird issues in Iceland for a couple of years so I came across the practice quite early on, but finding someone doing it and willing to be photographed took a while. My\u00a0daughter lives\u00a0in Iceland and one of her seabird researcher friends knew J\u00f3n\u2019s wife. So she set up an introduction.<\/p>\n

Fisherman J\u00f3n Arnar Beck is 38 years old and has been collecting seabird eggs for the past 8. Usually assisted by friend and fellow fisherman S\u00e6mundur Einarsson, J\u00f3n may use modern safety harness and radio equipment, and he\u2019s lowered and raised mechanically now by a 4X4, but the essential method of collecting cliff-nesting seabird eggs hasn\u2019t changed much in a thousand years.’<\/p>\n