Tribute to renowned Suffolk naturalist Steve Piotrowski 

Steve, who I first met in 1978 at his beloved Landguard Point near Felixstowe, was, quite simply, a force of nature and a force for nature.

That meeting was the beginning of a treasured friendship that was to endure for 46 years.

Steve was everything you could wish for in a friend – and more. Fun, slightly mischievous but always warm and compassionate with the ability to make everyone feel valued.

He also possessed boundless energy and drive to make a difference for nature. And make a difference he certainly did.

Just weeks before he died Steve was at the Eel’s Foot Inn at Eastbridge for the unveiling of a Swift tower for which he was the inspiration and driving force.

It was a fabulous occasion, though poignant, given Steve’s declining health. The tower is a thing of beauty. It has a nesting chamber with space for 47 Swift pairs, set at the top of an ornately carved ‘totem’ pole.  

A plaque at the base carries a quote from Steve: “How we live our lives counts, but the legacy we leave behind is what matters.”

It’s almost as if he was writing his own epitaph. Because Steve’s legacy is immense.

Born on June 27, 1951, with four brothers and three sisters, Steve’s passion for nature was kindled in countryside walks with his mother, Alice, and later with his lifelong friend Eric Patrick, from the family home in Trefoil Close, Ipswich.

Later, a career with Anglian Water followed, in which he rose to become a leading engineer manager.

In his youth, Steve enjoyed playing football and following his beloved Ipswich Town but they were only dalliances really. Nature was the focus of his life.

Steve’s energy and forcefulness of personality first came to the fore in the birding community in the late 1970s.

He was a driving force in the establishment of the bird observatory in Landguard Fort, Felixstowe. He also made a Herculean contribution to the battle against the extension of the Port of Felixstowe in the early 1980s, which threatened to swallow up the intertidal mud of Fagbury Flats. Forming a formidable partnership with his great friend Derek Moore, who led Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s ‘desktop battle’ against the plans, Steve fought the ‘battle in the mud’ as it were, conducting, with others, intense studies of wading birds on Fagbury. They took the battle to Westminster, with Steve presenting data and evidence to the House of Lords during the expansion Bill’s progress through Parliament.

Their efforts led to the mitigation of the loss of Fagbury Flats in the form of the Trimley Marshes nature reserve.

By now Steve was justifiably admired as an astute and forceful figure on the nature conservation scene. His bird-ringing efforts had become phenomenal. Many were prompted to ask, when did he sleep!

Bird-ringing remained a central pillar of Steve’s love affair with birds. In his last few days, he told me he had ringed ‘something like 100,000 birds’ in the UK and beyond.

Steve was an exceptional teacher, mentoring 38 trainee ringers for the British Trust for Ornithology over the years. He conducted demonstrations and beginners’ courses and tutored residential courses for the BTO and the Field Studies Council.

In 2005 he founded the hugely successful Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project. It has provided about 2,000 nest boxes, restoring the number of Barn Owls in the county to levels not seen since the 1930s.

About 6,000 Barn Owls have been ringed, contributing enormously to our knowledge of the species.

Steve also worked closely with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, advising many farmers and landowners on nature conservation. He was a loyal supporter of the Suffolk Bird Group, serving as a council member, chairman and President, ultimately being given the accolade of Honorary Vice-President. He was a long-time member and former chairman of the Suffolk Ornithological Records Committee and edited the highly acclaimed Suffolk Bird Report from 1986 to 1992.

A great love of butterflies and a deep knowledge of their lives led Steve and his friend Howard Mendel to write The Butterflies of Suffolk, published in 1986, and in 1990 Steve teamed up with Derek Moore and Malcolm Bowling to produce the Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group’s Easy Birdwatching guide to help people with mobility issues access birding sites.

He later wrote the acclaimed county avifauna The Birds of Suffolk, an astonishing achievement given the volume of work involved.

After retirement he formed his own ecological consultancy and bird tour business.

Throughout his life, ideas fizzed from him like sparks from a sparkler.

Shortly after settling with his wife, Kathy, into their Bungay home, Steve formed the Waveney Bird Club.

And from our so-called Thursday Club meet-ups at RSPB Minsmere emerged a WhatsApp group that Steve, with his love of inclusivity, widened to become the Clubbers nature news group, offering instant reports of Suffolk sightings.

But it is perhaps in the final two tangible examples of Steve’s warmth, generosity and compassion that we can most readily appreciate his monumental legacy: the Access for All boardwalk at RSPB Minsmere and the Eel’s Foot Swift tower.

He is survived by his wife Kathy, his three sons and three grandchildren. To all his family, sincere condolences are sent from the entire birding community. We have lost a great ambassador for wildlife.

Nature is the poorer for his passing.

An online tribute page has been set up, which also has details of Steve’s funeral service on Tuesday, July 23. Visit https://stevenpiotrowski.muchloved.com

*John Grant is former EADT environment correspondent and current Suffolk Bird Group president.