On this page

This page lists books by Donald Watson and books that include illustrations by Donald Watson.

The list is ordered by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

In Search of Harriers

Donald Watson

2009

"This book covers over fifty years of Donald's work, and includes a stunning collection of Harrier paintings, individual studies and sketches, along with related informative text. The book also includes a fine selection of paintings depicting associated species, for example species of prey."

Robert Burns: A Man for All Seasons: The Natural World of Robert Burns

John Young

Scottish Cultural Press

1996

"This book analyzes and catalogues the natural history references contained in Burns's writings. Each floral/faunal entry is accompanied by its common name, its generic name and its local name (including Scots and Gaelic) and is supported by extracts from Burns poems where appropriate. Appendices condense all the information into concise sections, giving descriptions of each species mentioned."

One Pair Of Eyes

Donald Watson

1994

"One Pair of Eyes includes more than eighty colour reproductions of Donald Watson's finest paintings, spanning close on half a century, as well as a comprehensive selection of his sketches and drawings. The thirty five chapters in this book relate not only to his artwork but also to many years of experience as ornithologist and countryman. This book is a magnificent collection of work by an esteemed artist, author and naturalist."

Forest Merlins in Scotland

Jack Orchel

Hawk and Owl Trust

1992

"A Report on the Galloway Forests Merlin Project, 1986-89. This study provides information on the basic ecology of the merlin, an historical perspective on merlins in Galloway, plus details and results of the Project."

The Hawkwatcher: Adventures Among Birds of Prey in the Wild

D.A. Orton

Foreword: Wilson Stephens

Collins / Unwin Hyman

1989

"Having devoted much of his life to studying hawks in all parts of Britain, Dick Orton recounts some of his experiences, including stories about the ospreys of Speyside, golden eagles of Sutherland, buzzards in Devon, merlins in the Welsh Marches and the rare peregrine falcon. The author is a regular contributor to "The Field" and other ornithological journals. He has written several books including a monograph on merlins."

A Bird Artist in Scotland

Donald Watson

1988

"Donald Watson has been one of Britain's foremost bird artists for many years, and has illustrated such outstanding books as Birds of Moor and Mountain and The Hen Harrier. This is his autobiography, describing his life from childhood in Surrey, military service in Burma, to his present home in Galloway. A lively account, it is beautifully illustrated with his own work."

Birds in Scotland

Valerie M.Thom

Poyser

1986

"This impressively comprehensive study and review of the birds in Scotland by Valerie Thom, editor of Scottish Birds and past-President of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club, may be said to follow on where the celebrated two volumes of The Birds of Scotland (1953), by Dr Baxter and Miss Rintoul, left off. It does more than that, however, since not only has there been a profound increase in ornithological coverage and data (as reflected in the species accounts), there have also been great changes in habitat and environment since the days of Baxter & Rintoul. These aspects form the themes of the ten preliminary chapters reviewing the Scottish scene today in terms of habitat, conservation, birdwatching and the changes in species status and distribution.The species accounts, the backbone of the book, review the period 1950-83 but include, where practicable, records of rarities and details of counts up to the spring of 1985; there are also brief summaries of earlier data based on the researches of Baxter & Rintoul. In all, 497 species are dealt with.The texts of major species accounts are complemented by 173 distribution maps and many tables of relevant data, and there are 129 species drawings by a team of artists under the editorship of Donald Watson, who also contributes chapter head pieces and other drawings. A section of photographs illustrates the varied habitats typical of Scotland today. There are, further, appendices and an extensive bibliography."

Waders: Their Breeding, Haunts and Watchers

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson and Maimie Nethersole-Thompson

Poyser

1986

"The core of this book is the comprehensive accounts of the biology and behaviour of 18 species of waders in their breeding haunts. In addition there are chapters on waders generally, wader spacing and dispersion, the wader watchers of past and recent times, and two final chapters on new or returning waders and those pipe dream species that, not too fancifully, may yet breed one day in these islands. Voice is one of the headings within the species accounts but there is also an appendix of sonagrams of wader songs and calls; there are tables of data and an extensive, selected bibliography." From inside flap of book

The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain & Ireland

Peter Lack

Poyser

1986

A guide to the distribution and status of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland based on surveys carried out during the winters of 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84. The surveys were organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy.

Farming and Birds

Raymond J. O'Connor and Michael Shrubb

Cambridge University Press

1986

Reprint: 1990

"This attractively illustrated book reviews the effects of agricultural development on bird populations in Britain. Examining modern farmland as a bird habitat, it explains the changes, both in habitat structure and in available resources, that have occurred as a result of mechanisation and use of agrochemicals. Farmland bird communities are described, and their composition related to farm structure and land use. Based extensively on empirical data extracted from the British Trust for Ornithology's Common Bird Census and from nest histories recorded in the BTO'S Nest Record Scheme, the book presents an important analysis of the position of agricultural bird populations under modern farming systems. Particular examination has been made of the impact of changing methods, rotations and crops, which have been underestimated in the past. Resulting from the co-operation between a professional ornithologist and a working cereal farmer, this book provides an objective and informed view of the impact of British agriculture on bird populations."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

Country Matters

Ian Niall

Victor Gollancz

1984

"Country Matters contains a selection of Ian Niall's best pieces. They cover many aspects of country life from the nostalgia of a child's Christmas in Galloway through a host of superbly rendered character sketches and include some fine descriptions of remembered harvests, trout fishing in the Welsh hills, and all sorts of animals from polecats to grand ploughing horses."

A Birdwatcher's Miscellany

Editor: Rob Hume

Illustrations: C. F. Tunnicliffe, Robert Gillmor, Donald Watson, John Busby, Laurel Tucker, Killian Mullarney and Richard Millington

Christopher Helm

1984

The Birds Of The Balearics

David A. Bannerman and W. Mary Bannerman

Croom Hlem

1983

Bird Habitats in Britain

R.J. Fuller

Poyser

1982

"A description of the main habitat types in Britain and the bird communities associated with them. Includes over 50 drawings by Donald Watson, 100 diagrams and maps and 50 photographs."

The Peregrine Falcon

Derek A. Ratcliffe

Poyser

1980 (2nd edition 1993)

The first edition of The Peregrine Falcon was widely recognised as a classic of its kind, documenting not only the species' biology but the sad story of its decline due to the impact of pesticides. This extensively revised and enlarged second edition takes full account of important new developments in the story of this bird during the years since the first publication.

Contents: The Peregrine and Man; The Peregrine's Country; Population Trends; Distribution and Numbers; Food and Feeding Habits; Nesting Habitat; The Breeding Cycle; Movements and Migration; Breeding Density and Territory; Population Regulation and Dynamics; Ecological Relationships with Other Birds; The Pesticide Story; Other Enemies; Appearance, Form, And Geographical Variation; Conservation.

The Oxford Book Of Birds

Bruce Campbell

Oxford University Press

Revised edition

1980

"This book with its 96 coloured plates and accompanying text covers all the birds which have ever been recorded in Britain, up to 1971. Any bird which is seen at all regularly in any part of the British Isles is illustrated in full colour, together with several which are very rare. At the beginning of the book are notes on classification, and at the end are sections on special points of interest such as Flight, Anatomy, Behaviour and Breeding, and Migration."

Greenshanks

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson

Poyser

1979

A 250 page monograph on the Greenshank. Based on over 40 years research. Includes black & white photographs, sketches, maps and colour plates by Donald Watson.

Hen Harrier

Donald Watson

1977

"The introductory section of this book provides information on the worldwide distribution of the harrier family. This is followed by detailed examination of the Hen Harrier in Europe and North America. This section includes information about its history and present status, hunting methods and prey selection, breeding cycle, migration and distribution. The final section is an account of the Hen Harrier in Donald Watson's study areas in Scotlands. The book includes the author's colour paintings, line drawings and reproductions from his field sketch books."

The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland

J.T.R. Sharrock

Poyser for British Trust for Ornithology and Irish Wildbird Conservancy

1976

The Atlas plots the results of the survey organised by the BTO and the IWC during the yeays 1968-72. Over 250 maps show the distribution of 218 species.

Pine Crossbills: A Scottish Contribution

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson

Poyser

1975

"From this study and a quest for the true identity of the Speyside crossbills has emerged that all too rare book, a work of scholarship and research that is wholly readable, in which the author`s delight in his study subject becomes the reader`s too."

Birdwatchers' Year

Leo Batten, Jim Flegg, Jeremy Sorensen, Mike J Waring, Donald Watson and Malcolm Wright

Poyser

1973

Six birdwatchers describe their birdwatching activities through the course of a year.

Birds Of Moor and Mountain

Donald Watson

1972

The Oxford Book Of Birds

Bruce Campbell

Oxford University Press

1964

Text covers all birds recorded in Britain up to 1960. 96 full page, colour plates include all regularly occurring species. Introductory notes on notes on classification, flight, anatomy, behaviour, breeding, and migration.