Over more than 60 years of working in wildlife conservation, I have regarded fieldwork as the bedrock of my being. It’s a quest for knowledge and a chance to pass it on to others. Fieldwork with birds involves much more than the basic identification of species. It is, for example, about knowing their signs – understanding the story told by a pile of feathers on the ground (did the bird moult or was it killed?) and identifying a broken eggshell and knowing how the birds live their lives. The most basic but crucial information comes from fieldwork – how many pairs bred this year; what was their breeding success? That fieldwork knowledge is your currency. No matter who you meet – farmer, forester, policeman, politician, student or teacher – they will recognise your skill and expertise, while you will know that, no matter what they ask, you can answer with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm – if you know the answers. And besides all that, fieldwork is fun.