Christmas is a time for giving, of course. At this time each year I often think of all the people who have given throughout the year to help ospreys and other birds. In particular, those volunteers who have selflessly given up their time to do species protection work - guarding the osprey nest (and other species) 24 hours a day for six weeks. Early morning shifts, night shifts, rain, storms, biting cold temperatures; it amazes me the amount of kind people out there willing to put themselves out in aid of a pair of birds - and all for free, of course.

We need these people because of the tiny amount of people that prefer to take. People like this. He's not alone, there are several people out there in the UK, always men, that want to illegally steal rare birds eggs. The person in the photograph is Mark Thomas from the RSPB's investigations unit with 'some' of the 8,000 eggs discovered in just one egg collector's house.

For many years the RSPB, alongside local police forces, have been carrying out vital work to stop this unnecessary, uniquely British, 'hobby'. It is estimated that there is still a core of around 100 egg collectors active in the UK, a tiny figure compared to how it used to be just a few years ago before the law was changed to a prison sentence if convicted and not just a fine of a few pounds. During the years I used to work for the RSPB, I remember these types of photographs popping up every year and they used to fill me with intense anger and vitriol. Those eggs are not inanimate brass trinkets to hoard into a collection and put on a mantlepiece, they all contained the next generation of rare birds - The next Logie, the next EJ, Lady, Nimrod, Monty, and Nora. These 'takers' are the 21st century avian equivalent of Herod - and there are a hundred of them.

Law changes and hard work seems to be paying off though. A couple of weeks ago I gave a presentation at the annual Welsh Wildlife Crime Conference in Carmarthen and it was pure joy to see so many people from many different organisations, including all the Welsh Police Forces, all batting for the same side. This graph represents 15 years' worth of data for egg collecting convictions. (Courtesy of RSPB)

Three years ago there were just two convictions for taking eggs. One was sent to prison, the other not. This is just a tenth of the number in 1994 - a great success story, of course, but the battle continues to completely eradicate this illegal wildlife crime. Complacency is not an option.

Back to the givers. Let me introduce you quickly to Bob - here he is mending the boardwalk at Cors Dyfi a few weeks ago after 50,000 visitors had walked on it this year. Another volunteer, Maria, is in the background (probably looking for moths!). Apart from a week's holiday, Bob rang me at 06.15 every morning (and I mean every morning!) from the osprey hide to give me the first of several daily updates on the Dyfi ospreys this summer. After a 5am start, Bob stayed in the hide and visitor centre monitoring the ospreys until around 09.30 until everyone else turned up so that we could open the gates on time at 10am and welcome all those visitors.

Volunteers donated over 6,000 hours in all this year to the Dyfi Osprey Project - that's the equivalent of around four full time staff on a year-round basis. We simply could not run the Dyfi Osprey Project without volunteers like Bob, Maria, and around 50 others. If you would like to join the team by the way, you'd be very welcome - look out for some details of a March volunteering event in the new year. If you live too far to help the Dyfi ospreys, why not volunteer locally where you are - your local Wildlife Trust or the RSPB would be delighted to hear from you.

When the inevitable egg collection photograph pops up these days, I don't feel quite so angry any more - maybe it's my age. I think I feel more shame and regret. These egg collectors are still people at the end of the day - people with their own lives, children, and families. One very prolific collector fell to his death just a few years ago - from the top of a tree. Over the years, and thousands of hours invested in studying eggs, nests and wildlife, they will have amassed a huge amount of knowledge about rare breeding bids. The 'shame' part of things comes from the fact that this knowledge could be used to save and protect wildlife rather that destroy it. The more we understand about the ecology of rare birds, the more tools we have to help these birds - that's where the real shame lies.

The odd egg collector will have spent Christmas behind bars during the last few years (although, why they are not imprisoned during April and May I'll never know). Is it worth it? After all, the eggs in their prized collection are not worth any money - these illegally taken eggs are financially worthless. Life's never too short to change course - come over to the legal side, it's a much better place and you will be welcomed. After all, life is all about give and take.