77-Year-Old Volunteer Saves Birds for 60 Years

When Nigel Hewitt took a break from studying for his A-levels in 1966, he had no idea that volunteering to protect ospreys would spark a 60-year love affair with bird conservation. Now 77, he's the RSPB's longest-serving volunteer and has helped save multiple bird species from disappearing in the UK.

Hewitt's conservation journey started with Operation Osprey in Scotland, where he spent his school holidays guarding the first pair of ospreys to breed in Britain in over a century. He and other volunteers worked 24-hour shifts in hides with telescopes, protecting the birds from people who tried to chop down their nesting tree and steal eggs.

"It was a wonderful time," Hewitt recalls of those early days. The experience hooked him for life.

Today, Hewitt focuses much of his energy on the cirl bunting, a small finch-like bird that nearly vanished from the UK. He manages habitats at Labrador Bay and Ashill nature reserves in Devon, creating safe spaces where these shy birds can quietly raise their young without being disturbed.

The results speak for themselves. More than 1,000 pairs of cirl buntings were recorded in the last national survey in 2016, mostly in south Devon with a reintroduced population in Cornwall. The species remains on the conservation red list, but the numbers show real progress from when they were nearly extinct.

Why This Inspires

Hewitt's story proves that individual commitment can create ripples across decades. Throughout a 30-year banking career with Barclays, he continued volunteering during holidays and free time, never letting his day job stop his conservation work.

His fellow birder John White says Hewitt's "knowledge is unbounded" and he "loves it." But for Hewitt, the motivation runs deeper than just accumulating facts. Being with wildlife and understanding birds, mammals, and insects brings him mental peace and joy.

RSPB volunteering development officer Tim Hughes calls Hewitt's impact remarkable. "Few individuals can demonstrate such sustained commitment, breadth of impact and enduring legacy as Nigel," Hughes says, noting his work on species recovery and his positive influence on volunteer culture.

Hewitt admits his initial motivation wasn't purely altruistic. "Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but for me initially it was the opportunity to get closer to the birds and nature," he says. That honest connection to personal joy makes his six decades of service even more powerful.

Now leading walks around nature reserves, Hewitt shares his expertise with new generations of bird lovers. He says the pleasure of seeing birds he's worked to protect gives him deep satisfaction, and he's not ready to stop anytime soon.

"David Attenborough is 100, so I could still be pottering around then," Hewitt says with a smile. At 77, he's got plenty of birding years left.