Seton Gordon
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Seton Gordon
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(1886–1977) was a Scottish naturalist,
photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...
and folklorist. Gordon began exploring the Highlands of Scotland as a boy, particularly the
Cairngorms The Cairngorms ( gd, Am Monadh Ruadh) are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national park (the Cairngorms National Park) on 1 S ...
. He later became a world-famous naturalist, photographer and folklorist, describing the wildlife and scenery of Scotland. His books are still widely available, and a recent anthology has been published. Their appeal is based upon the knowledge of natural history displayed, together with his ability as a writer. Born in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, he lived on Deeside and was educated privately and at Oxford. Given cameras as a young man, his books were illustrated with photographs taken by himself and his first wife, Audrey Gordon, for many years his companion and helper in the field. He accompanied the Oxford University Expedition to Spitsbergen in 1921 and took many photographs there, but the birds of the Scottish mountains and glens were always his real passion. From his home in Aviemore (and later the Isle of Skye), he made regular forays into the wilds. Of all the Scottish birds, the
golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...
was his favourite. He is believed to have been the first to photograph both the
snow bunting The snow bunting (''Plectrophenax nivalis'') is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few ...
and the
whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type speci ...
at nests in Scotland. He was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the
1939 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1939 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the o ...
, "for services to literature and natural history". He judged many piping competitions (often with Angus MacPherson and Jock MacDonald of Viewfield) including his own favourite, the Glenfinnan Gathering. He was close to many of the landed families of Scotland.Lochaber Archives: D36/2/13


Publications

Here is a listing of his publications: * 1907 – Birds of the Loch and Mountain (Cassell) * 1912 – The Charm of the Hills (Cassell) * 1915 – Hill Birds of Scotland (Edward Arnold) * 1920 – Land of the Hills and the Glens – Wild Life of Iona & the Inner Hebrides (Cassell) * 1921 – Wanderings of a Naturalist (Cassell) * 1922 – Amid snowy wastes (Cassell) * 1923 – Hebridean Memories (Cassell) * 1925 – The Cairngorm Hills of Scotland (Cassell) * 1926 – The Immortal Isles (Williams & Norgate) * 1927 – Days With the Golden Eagle (Williams & Norgate) * 1929 – The Charm of Skye: The Winged Isle (Cassell) * 1931 – In the Highlands (Cassell) * 1933 – Islands of the West (Cassell) * 1935 – Highways and Byways in the West Highlands (Macmillan) * 1935 – Sea-Gulls in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
(Cassell) * 1936 – Thirty Years of Nature Photography: a Personal Record of Two Observers (Cassell) * 1937 – Afoot in Wild Places (Cassell) * 1937 – Edward Grey of
Fallodon Fallodon is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newton-by-the-Sea, in the county of Northumberland, England. It is the territorial designation of Viscount Grey of Fallodon and Baronet Grey of Fallodon. It is pronounced with ...
and His Birds (Country Life) * 1938 – Wild Birds in Britain (Batsford) * 1941 – In Search of Northern Birds (Eyre & Spottiswoode) * 1944 – A Highland Year (Eyre & Spottiswoode) * 1948 – Highways and Byways in the Central Highlands (Macmillan) * 1950 – Afoot in the Hebrides (Country Life) * 1951 – Highlands of Scotland (Robert Hale) * 1955 – The Golden Eagle, King of Birds (Collins) * 1956 – Colourful Scotland (Oliver & Boyd) * 1963 – Highland Days (Cassell) * 1971 – Highland Summer (Cassell) Co-authored: * 1933 – Tales Of The Untamed (Collins) * 1936 – Nature in Britain: an illustrated survey (Batsford) * 1960 – Scotland's Splendour (Collins)


References


Further reading

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External links


Review of autobiography by
Hamish Brown Hamish Brown M.B.E. FRSGS is a professional writer, lecturer and photographer specialising in mountain and outdoor topics. He is best known for his walking exploits in the Scottish Highlands, having completed multiple rounds of the Munros and be ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Seton 1886 births 1977 deaths Fellows of the Zoological Society of London Scottish naturalists Scottish photographers 20th-century naturalists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire