Roger Lovegrove is a native of Devon, born in 1935. Initially a school teacher, he taught physical education in Sussex and Mid Wales for twelve years before joining the staff of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as its Director for Wales. He worked in this post for 27 years, developing it from a one-man office to a permanent workforce of over 50 and seeing it regarded as a major environmental force in Wales. He retired in 1997.

He is the author of some ten books on birds and natural history subjects including River Birds, Birds in your Garden, Birdwatchers Diary, The Story of the Red Kite in Wales, Birds in the Countryside, The Birds of Wales and, most recently, Silent Fields – the long decline of a nation’s wildlife, described as ‘an instant classic’ He has also contributed chapters to several other environmental publications. He has been a regular radio and television broadcaster for many years being a joint presenter for several TV series including In Deepest Britain, In the Country and the live series Birdwatch.. In retirement he has sat on the boards of several statutory advisory bodies (Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission Advisory Committee, Defra Wildlife Inspector) and remains actively involved in nature conservation. He has travelled widely throughout the world, usually in pursuit of his interest in wildlife, often to remote island groups and has been a lecturer/naturalist with some twelve cruise companies since 1991. He has been to the Arctic in most years since 1997 and to the Antarctic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Siberia. He was awarded the OBE in 1997 for services to nature conservation in Wales. He lives with his wife Mary in mid Wales.