I cannot recall when I first met Roger but it was probably when my birding was in its infancy and I was taken on various CBWPS field meetings by the late Harry Deal

I suspect that it was on one of the annual winter meets for Spoonbill at Antony House which were then led by the late Brian Evenden.

It was immediately apparent that Roger was an experienced and knowledgeable birdwatcher.

I quickly learned that he was a highly respected birder whose pals included such luminaries at Steve Madge, Ted Griffiths, Vic Tucker, Rod Belringer, John Nicholls, Roger Andrew and Ray Gould to name just a few.

Over the ensuing few years I occasionally saw Roger at various locations in East Cornwall.

He was one of life’s friendly and engaging characters who seemingly had time for everyone.

We were also in regular telephone contact, usually swapping stories on a Sunday evening.

When I took over responsibility as Bird Recorder for Cornwall in 1982, Roger, due to his meticulous note-keeping, was the obvious choice to act as my assistant. He was a tireless and loyal ally for many years, only retiring from the post because of his increasing work commitments.

He was an extremely careful and erudite watcher of birds, and it was his devotion to the Rame Head area that led him to discover the first Wilson’s Warbler for the Western Palearctic on 13th October 1985.

Later, on 3rd June 1999 he was to find a Spectacled Warbler at Roborough Downs, Devon – only the third UK record at the time.

He was heavily immersed in recording the birds of Dartmoor and was instrumental in setting up the Dartmoor Bird Group in 1991. He religiously organised surveys of wintering birds such as Goosander, Hen Harrier and European Nightjar. He also collated and disseminated bird records which formed the basis of the Dartmoor Bird Report, which he produced.

His devotion to the task ultimately led to him being invited to write a book on Dartmoor birds.

Published in 2005, his book, surprisingly entitled ‘The Birds of Dartmoor’ has become the seminal work on the subject.  This is now a highly sought after title.

He was also a regular contributor to British Birds magazine and a several observational notes are credited to him.

Roger was well known for his somewhat tardy response to news of rare birds and was renowned for turning up a day late and after the bird had flown. This earned him the nickname ‘The Big Dipper’ and to his house being addressed as ‘Cinclus cinclus’ (and for those who do now know, that is the scientific name for Dipper!

Roger and his wife Aileen were annual spring visitors to my part of Cornwall, always staying in the Padstow area which was handy for him visiting my patch at Trevose Head.

No other birder has left such an indelible mark on my birding development and very few have been held in such high esteem as Roger.

I will miss his good humour and friendly banter.

He had been a member of Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society for at least fifty years and was still submitting sightings up to the time of his demise.

He leaves his wife Aileen and his sons Matthew and Adam and their families.

The birding world is certainly poorer without him.

Stanley Christophers