Memorial to Seton Gordon near Kilmuir Cemetery on the Isle of Skye. It reads: "In the memory of the late Seton Gordon, CBE, writer and naturalist whose twenty-seven books on the highlands and islands led many people to appreciate their beauty. His love of the Hebrides influenced his coming to Skye where he lived for more than fifty years among the people of this area."
Gordon began exploring the Highlands of Scotland as a boy, particularly the Cairngorms.[1] 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, he lived on Deeside and was educated privately and at Oxford.[2] 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.
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.[4]
^Keay, J. (2000). Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. HarperCollins. p. 498. ISBN978-0-00-710353-9. Retrieved 11 May 2019. Seton Gordon's father was town clerk of Aberdeen, but it was at the family's holiday home in Aboyne that he was largely brought up. An only child, he scoured the hills and was already a knowledgeable ...