He was born in Bedford but lived most of his early life in Nottingham attending the High School before obtaining a degree in metallurgy at Oxford in 1966. This led to a senior position at Stocksbridge steelworks and to life in Sheffield with his wife Evelyn and their four children.

While at the High School, he was a keen member of the trainspotting group. In Sheffield, this hobby morphed into an interest in birdwatching and he was a founder member of the Sheffield Bird Study Group, formed in 1972. He served this group in various ways including spells as secretary, chairman, and as co-editor of the annual bird report. He was also active in fieldwork carrying out a number of surveys of the birds of North Derbyshire and was centrally involved in setting up a 24 hour a day peregrine watch at Alport Castle. This was important because peregrine populations had been declining significantly both locally and nationally and it is likely that they only managed to breed successfully at Alport for the first time in many years because of this watch scheme. One of his other notable contributions to local ornithology was as senior author of the 1985 book, Birds of the Sheffield Area.

His job in the steel industry took him to many parts of the world where he always seemed able to squeeze out at least a few hours’ birdwatching before or after formal business. In 1971 he won a United Steel Company travel award to study the steel industry in Japan, which led to a three-month world trip. This further stimulated his love of travel. The opportunity to combine his love of birding with that of travel came in 1993 when he took early retirement from the steel industry, after which the overseas birding tours came thick and fast.

Some he undertook alone but mainly he travelled with or led small groups of birding enthusiasts, for whom he did most of the organisation. His unexceptional build concealed a high level of fitness and stamina and he was extremely single-minded, happy to endure various levels of hardship, for example once sharing the floor of a Peruvian barn with pigs. As well as listing the birds seen, he had a genuine concern for their welfare and the often vulnerable ecosystems that sustain them.

At the time of his death, Jon had a world list of an incredible 9600 species of birds, far more than anyone else.

Regrettably all this travel put a strain on his marriage to Evelyn and resulted in their separation and eventual divorce. In 2011 Jon began a new life when he married Syndy, and our sympathies go to her, and to Evelyn, his four children and eight grandchildren.