Stone-curlews stayed later than ever this year at RSPB Winterbourne Downs. Our autumn pre-migration roost peaked at 16 birds on 10th November dwindling to 3 birds on Friday 20th November before a cold snap with northerly winds finally encouraged the stone-curlews to migrate south over the following weekend. We can only hope that the extended mild autumn enabled them to fill their bellies with worms to give them a comfortable flight down through France to southern Spain and north Africa. This is an exceptional record given that the 2007 “Birds of Wiltshire” cites the 13 November 1954, as the latest recorded observation of the stone-curlew in Wiltshire. Future monitoring will tell whether this year's record was truly exceptional or whether we are witnessing a lengthening of their season in Britain due to climate change.