James Lowen (jameslowen.com) has been immersed in all aspects of natural history since he was able to walk – his love for nature initially inspired by a chance encounter as a toddler with a buzzard amid South Devon’s leafy lanes. Upon fledging into adult plumage, James flirted with careers as a tropical conservationist and UK diplomat before becoming an award-winning wildlife and travel writer, guide and photographer. His 17 books include four for Bradt – Pantanal Wildlife, 52 Wildlife Weekends, A Summer of British Wildlife (winner, Travel Guidebook of 2016) and 52 European Wildlife Weekends (winner, Travel Guidebook of 2018) – plus Much Ado About Mothing (longlisted for the 2022 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing) and books covering butterflies, hedgehogs, badgers, Antarctica, Spain, France, Iberia and Norfolk (UK). Enthused by bringing nature to life for the non-specialist, James writes regularly for publications including The Telegraph, BBC Wildlife, BirdLife and Bird Watching.