Adrian Riley was born in Telford, Shropshire and spent much of his working life at Rothamsted, the agricultural research station in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, where he pursued a professional career in entomology. On retiring early in 2000, he turned his energies to ornithology, more especially birding. In 2002, he won the Birder of the Year award, having recorded some 380 species that year. Whilst he is the author of several books and other articles on insects, this is his first book on birds.