Peewit egg hunting season is officially open
The Province of Friesland is the only place in Europe where peewit (aka lapwing) eggs can be collected on cultural-historical grounds. As of today, 1 March 2011 and until 9 April 2011, people in Friesland can go egg hunting, but have to ask permission from the provincial council by phone text message before taking each egg they find. Despite objections from bird protection groups, a total of 5,939 eggs can be collected. Twittering them would be a lot cooler, but hey.
In the province of Friesland, it is a tradition to be the first one to find the year’s first peewit egg (‘kievitsei’, in Dutch). Unlike other birds who lay their eggs in nests, the peewit (aka Northern Lapwing) lays its eggs in the ground. Friesland has tons of open fields where people go ‘egg hunting’. The finding of the first egg is a symbol of spring and is always news.
(Link: dutchnews.nl, Photo of eggs by wiccked, some rights reserved)
[…] I heard that the peewit egg hunting season had opened in Friesland and the Frisian word for peewit – ljip – turned up in one of my […]
Are you sure about that amount of eggs that can be collected?? As far as I know the hunt is closed after the first egg is found…
You’re right: http://www.rechtspraak.nl/Gerechten/Rechtbanken/Leeuwarden/Actualiteiten/Het+rapen+van+kievitseieren+in+Frysl%C3%A2n+mag+ook+in+2011+doorgaan.htm
This is shocking.. The total amount of lapwings and other weidevogels (field birds) that lay eggs on the ground is decreasing rapidly, because of modern farming techniques.