A Zoologist on Baffin Island 1953

A Zoologist on Baffin Island 1953
Author: Adam Watson
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2011
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1907611703

The author spent four months in Baffin Island during 1953 as zoologist on a big expedition by the Arctic Institute of North America, where he concentrated on studying birds and mammals. With Inuit hunter Samo he travelled by dog-sledge on the sea-ice of coast and fjord. Afterwards he crossed the mountains alone in deep snow to reach the site of his summer camp in a valley among some of the most spectacular peaks in the world. There he worked for most of the summer, usually alone. The valley and others nearby were and still are uninhabited, and expedition members trod many places which had not been under human foot in recent centuries. His book is of special interest because of the many changes since, with the Inuit now mostly in towns with modern facilities and airports, and using motor sledges for hunting. The author writes of many exciting days studying arctic animals, sometimes working with Swiss botanist Fritz Schwarzenbach and others, and walking with heavy loads, sometimes in risky conditions. The beauty of the Arctic inspired and energised him. He writes vividly about the magnificent landscape, the 24-hour daylight, the endless variety of weather, snow and ice, the wonderful plants and animals in the brief summer of the far north.

Essays on lone trips, mountain-craft and other hill topics

Essays on lone trips, mountain-craft and other hill topics
Author: Adam Watson
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2016-05-04
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1782224602

This book begins with a thought-provoking article now reprinted, criticising the increasing influence of politically-correct organisations and politicians who desire to control freewill and mountaineering. Then comes a chapter with a critique of several writers on the Cairngorms in comparison with the original Seton Gordon. After the author published a review in 1977 on ‘The wildlife potential of the Cairngorms region’, he came under unwarranted attack by two influential private landowners who misrepresented what he wrote and even included a threat. A wider public should be aware of this. There follows an essay on biologist Professor Vero C. Wynne-Edwards, and another on the history of the research station near Banchory, established for studying at first red grouse and then ecological problems of mountain, moorland, woodland and fresh-water. The last chapter – the most important one and occupying a third of the book – gives the author’s lifetime view of the value of lone trips in climbing, ski-mountaineering and mountain-craft.

Points, sets and man

Points, sets and man
Author: Adam Watson
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2013-04
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 1782220763

In this book, the author looks back at 56 years of personal experiences with his own pointers and setters, and those of members of the research team that he came later to lead. They studied the population biology, territorial behaviour, habitats and environment of red grouse and ptarmigan in Scotland. The joint achievements of men and dogs elicited a fresh understanding of populations and behaviour of animals in general, drawing international attention and recognition to the human workers. It is time to sing for recognition of the dogs, because the human achievements would have been immeasurably less had the faithful dogs not joined them to form a crucial inspirational partnership. The author tells of that partnership, its development and fruition. The book is mainly the author’s personal account, describing how the human workers gradually gained insight and experience that made the partnership ever more effective. Because the author’s dogs lived with him and his family, and the others in the team who had dogs usually kept them at home, part of the book tells of these relationships. Personal anecdotes and humorous events enliven the text. The author knew some other workers who used dogs to aid their research on wild animals, and visited them in Canada, USA, and Norway. Also he was in close touch with other colleagues who used dogs for wildlife research in France and northern Italy. A valuable international aspect to the book has been contributed by a few of these colleagues. Numerous photographs illustrate the text, showing dogs and men in fieldwork together and apart, as well as portraits of both. Hunters, shooters, researchers and dog enthusiasts in general will enjoy and appreciate this book

Place name discoveries on Upper Deeside and the far Highlands

Place name discoveries on Upper Deeside and the far Highlands
Author: Ian Murray
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2015-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1782223274

In this book the authors present many unpublished place names from Upper Deeside and from counties in the Highlands beyond. These were heard from indigenous folk back to 1941. Names are given with phonetic spellings, so that readers can pronounce them accurately, and in most cases with translations from Gaelic, Norse, Scots or Pictish into English. The book is richly illustrated with photographs of places and informants. Of interest to residents and visitors, it should help preserve for the future an important aspect of local identity and language.

Mammals in north-east Highlands

Mammals in north-east Highlands
Author: Adam Watson
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2013
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1782221204

Timings of antler-shedding by red deer were noted, as well as deer-beds and winter deaths of red deer. The author recounts some old published statements about sheep, deer and vegetation in the Highlands, and uses old sources to estimate the numbers of red deer in Scotland at low ebb in the 1780s. Next he collates field observations by several colleagues and himself on vertebrate animals in the Cairngorms. He documents the abundance of mountain hares amongst different areas, and changes in their numbers within study areas and across years. This leads to a chapter on recent reductions of mountain hares by heavy killing on grouse-moor estates.

The Vanishing Ice

The Vanishing Ice
Author: Iain Cameron
Publisher: Vertebrate Publishing
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2021-09-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1839810882

There are few more beautiful places than Scotland's winter mountains. But even when most of the snow has melted, isolated patches can linger well into summer and beyond. In The Vanishing Ice, Iain Cameron chronicles these remarkable and little-seen relics of the Ice Age, describing how they have fascinated travellers and writers for hundreds of years, and reflecting on the impact of climate change. Iain was nine years old when snow patches first captured his imagination, and they have been inextricably bound with his life ever since. He developed his expertise through correspondence (and close friendship) with research ecologist Dr Adam Watson, and is today Britain's foremost authority on this weather phenomenon. Iain takes us on a tour of Britain which includes the Scottish Highlands, the Southern Uplands, the Lake District and Snowdonia, seeking elusive patches of snow in wild and often inaccessible locations. His adventures include a perilous climb in the Cairngorms with comedian Ed Byrne, and glorious days spent out on the hills with Andrew Cotter and his very good dogs, Olive and Mabel. Based on sound scientific evidence and personal observations, accompanied by stunning photography and wrapped in Iain's shining passion for the British landscape, The Vanishing Ice is a eulogy to snow, the mountains and the great outdoors.