Richard Chandler

Richard Chandler has been birding seriously since the early 1970s, following an engineering geology research expedition to the Spitzbergen archipelago in 1972, where he was fascinated by the wildlife, particularly the birds.  As a small boy he remembers enjoying watching birds in the garden, and discovering for himself that what he was told were Blue Tits in a nest-box on the fence were actually Great Tits!  He regards himself as a birder first and a photographer second, though he takes both quite seriously.  He was invited to be Photographic Consultant of the magazine British Birds in 1980, and later became Chairman of the Board of Directors.  He still maintains a connection with "BB" as a member of their Editorial Board.

As an academic engineer he was lucky enough to be involved in a number of projects of considerable environmental interest, notably the construction of the reservoir now known as Rutland Water, and the raising of the dam that retains Abberton Reservoir in Essex.

His particular birding interest is waders, with photography being used to record both their behaviour and the fascinating range of plumages they show.  He is author of "North Atlantic Shorebirds (Macmillan, 1989) and "Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere" (A&C Black, 2009; revised 2013).  The latter book is illustrated with more than 650 of his photographs from around the world.  He also has a considerable interest in dragonflies, using photography to record all their different "plumages".

​

​