Adam Watson FIBiol, FArcticINorthAmerica, FRSE, FCEH, AFRMetSoc, (born April 14, 1930), is a Scottish biologist, ecologist and mountaineer. He is one of the most recognisable scientific figures in Scotland due to his many appearances on TV and radio. His vast academic output and contributions to the understanding of the flora and fauna in Scotland and elsewhere has been internationally recognised (see Honours Awards). Dubbed "Mr Cairngorms",[1] Dr Watson is widely acknowledged as Scotland's pre-eminent authority on this mountain range, and has written extensively about them.
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Watson was born and educated in Turriff, Aberdeenshire. After showing considerable academic prowess at Turriff Senior Secondary School, where he attained the Dux award, Watson gained a 1st class honours in Pure Science (Zoology) at the University of Aberdeen. In the same year (1952), he won the MacGillivray Prize, Department of Natural History at Aberdeen University. He gained his PhD in 1956, again at Aberdeen University, for his thesis on the “Annual Cycle of Rock Ptarmigan”, a bird that has fascinated Watson all of his adult life. A second doctorate (DSc) was secured in 1967 for scientific papers on populations and behaviour of northern animals.
Watson was inspired by the writings of Seton Gordon, whose book The Cairngorm Hills of Scotland Watson came across as a child, and was 'transformed' by its content.[2] This sparked his lifelong interest in the Cairngorms, and Watson remained in contact with Gordon until his death in 1977.
The body of work by Dr Watson extends to 476 publications over 55 years (1944–2009), and includes 22 books, 210 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 62 scientific notes, 40 book reviews, and many articles in newspapers and magazines.
Editorships
In addition to Watson’s academic achievements, he has a wealth of honours and awards:
Dr Watson is also an Emeritus member of the Ecological Society of America, and has been a member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club since 1954
In addition to Dr Watson's distinguished career, some of the duties he has had include:
Despite being at an age where many would have hung up their boots umpteen years ago, one of Dr Watson's first loves, snow, remains a study subject that he is highly active on, particularly the longevity of snow-patches on Scotland’s mountains,[6] and he recently (May 2009) led a walk at Glenshee where he showed the participants the long-lying snow-patches of the Cairngorms & Lochnagar and the effects of snow-lie on vegetation. His fascination for snow can be traced back 70 years.[7]
Watson has appeared twice with Bill Oddie, and acted as guide when the famous twitcher was in pursuit of Dotterel, Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare.[8]
Watson was married in March 1955 to Jenny Raitt, and has one son (Adam) and one daughter (Jenny). He currently lives near Banchory, Aberdeenshire, by the banks of the River Dee.