Ben Koks started fieldwork with farmlandbirds in 1989 in the Netherlands. He found the first nest of Montagu’s harriers that was protected in alfafa in 1990. In those years he started Dutch Montagu’s Harrier Foundation and organized research in numerous European countries, West Africa, Morocco and India. In addition to the Montagu’s harrier, he is also active in research into the other 3 species of harriers in Europe and tries to develop scientific knowledge for more biodivers agricultural landscapes.
In 2005, in close collaboration with the Vogelwarte Helgoland and the University of Groningen, Koks organized the first satellite transmitters for Montagu’s harriers.
Writer Elvira Werkman wrote the book ‘De man op de dijk’ about the Montagu’s Harrier and the conservation work of Ben Koks and the people he worked together with, such as volunteers, farmers and researchers. In 2021 this book is also available in English: The Amazing Story of Montagu’s Harrier.
In 2021 Ben Koks published a (Dutch) essay ‘Birds show us the way’ about the field of tension between agriculture and nature, based on the conviction that we can learn a lot from birds. In 2022 Koks and Werkman published a book together about Pallid Harrier: Dwaalgast in het graan.
