Posted on behalf of Emily Field, Project Manager - Stone-curlew UK (EU LIFE+)
Today’s guest blog from one of our stone-curlew heroes comes from Keith Betton. As a keen birdwatcher and county bird recorder for Hampshire, Keith was aware of stone-curlews in his local “patch” for many years. His involvement with the stone-curlew recovery project grew over time, first passing records on to the RSPB, then taking on fieldwork responsibilities, liaising with landowners, and eventually coordinating a team of volunteers.
Since 2014, Keith and his team have been leading all stone-curlew monitoring and protection in their area of Hampshire. They check on about 15 fallow plots on 10 farms with 8–10 breeding pairs of stone-curlews, finding birds and nests, and carrying out nest protection where needed to enable farmers to carry out management safely.
Keith Betton catches a stone-curlew chick ready to measure and ring it on a farm in Hampshire. Image: Keith Betton
"I saw my first stone-curlew in Hampshire about 30 years ago. It was at long range through a telescope, and of course the bird skulked away from view as soon as it realised it was being watched. Over the next 20 years I never really enjoyed anything other than distant views of birds, mostly on private land that was completely inaccessible to the public.
I knew the RSPB was doing a great job of advising farmers on the creation of plots for stone-curlews. So in 2010 I decided to volunteer to help with watching them. The benefit would be two-fold: I’d be monitoring the birds and enabling them to have the best chance of success, and I’d also be able to enjoy watching them at the same time. I eventually ended up coordinating several volunteers across ten farms.
Over time I began to understand how stone-curlews live, and my confusion over what they were doing gradually led to me recognising patterns of behaviour. Back in 2010, I reckon I was confused for 75% of the time. Today it’s just 25%! Nobody ever gets to know this species perfectly – and that is why I get so much enjoyment from the work. You never stop learning."