Bryan Nelson

Bryan Nelson (born March 14, 1932 in Shipley , West Yorkshire ; † June 29, 2015 in Kirkcudbright , Scotland ) was a British ornithologist who dealt in particular with gannets , including the northern gannet . After receiving his doctorate at Oxford in 1963, he spent three years studying the behavior and way of life of gannets that belonged to the large breeding colony on Bass Rock . This was followed by research on the Galapagos Islands and on Australia's Christmas Islandwhere he dealt with the endemic gray footed booby . This was followed by scientific studies on the frigate birds. Since 1969 he was a member of the University of Aberdeen . He spent his sabbatical in 1978/79 studying the Australian booby .

Bryan Nelson published several influential ornithological works over a period of 40 years. The first publications dealt with the northern gannet. In 2005, in the series "Bird Families of the World", he published the standard work on rudders , in which the scientific status was summarized. Bryan Nelson was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and served on the board of directors of the Scottish Seabird Center .

Publications (selection)

• The Atlantic Gannet. Fenix ​​Books LTd, Norfolk 2002, ISBN 0-9541191-0-X .
• Pelicans, Cormorants and their Relatives. (also: Pelicans, Cormorants and their Allies. ) Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-857727-3 .
• The Gannet. Shire Publications, 1999, ISBN 978-0-7478-0018-7 .
• Living With Seabirds. Edinburgh University Press, 1987, ISBN 978-0-85224-523-1 .
• Seabirds: Their biology and ecology. Hamlyn, 1980, ISBN 978-0-600-38227-0 .
• Sulidae - Gannets & Boobies. Oxford University Press, 1985, ISBN 978-0-19-714104-5 .
• Azraq: Desert Oasis. Penguin Books, 1973, ISBN 0-7139-0475-5 .

Web links

• Phil Davison: Doctor Bryan Nelson: Environmental activist and ornithologist acclaimed as the world's leading expert on the Northern gannet. In: The Independent , July 7, 2015 (English)