Kenneth (Ken) Nigel Graham Simpson (1938 – 9 July 2014) was an Australian ornithologist and ornithological writer best known as the coauthor, with artist

Nicolas Day Nicolas Day (born 1955) is an Australian wildlife artist, illustrator and teacher. Day was born in Surrey, England, and moved to Australia at the age of ten. Having acquired an early interest in natural history, he worked as a keeper at the Me ...

, of the Simpson & Day field guide to Australian birds. Simpson was born in Sydney and educated at

University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High S ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. He subsequently worked as a research technician in various institutions as well as lecturing in primary science at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn P ...

and leading

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

tours. During the mid-1960s he studied

royal penguin The royal penguin (''Eudyptes schlegeli'') is a species of penguin, which can be found on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and adjacent islands. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the royal penguin as near t ...

s and

wandering albatross The wandering albatross, snowy albatross, white-winged albatross or goonie (''Diomedea exulans'') is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the last species of albatross to be de ...

es on

subantarctic The sub-Antarctic zone is a region in the Southern Hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° and 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands ...

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 19 ...

. He had a long association with the Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA), which he joined at the age of 11 in 1949, and was involved in editorial work with the BOCA journal '' Australian Bird Watcher''. In addition to his ornithological studies, while on

Simpson collected botanical specimens (mostly

Lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria (Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.5 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known a ...

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across ...

Honours

* Honorary Degree of Master of Science,

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

(1974) *

Australian Natural History Medallion The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. The idea origin ...

(1996) * President,

Bird Observers Club of Australia Bird Observation & Conservation Australia (BOCA) was a club established on 12 April 1905 by members of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in Melbourne, Victoria, as the Bird Observers Club. Although inactive for many years, in 1 ...

(1996–1998) * Honorary Life Membership, Bird Observers Club of Australia

Publications

As well as numerous articles and scientific papers, books authored or coauthored by Simpson include: * 1972 – ''Birds in Bass Strait''. Reed: Sydney. * 1984–2010 – ''Field Guide to the Birds of Australia'' (with Nicolas Day), first published as ''The Birds of Australia – a Book of Identification'' by Lloyd O’Neil: Melbourne, , with several subsequent editions published by Penguin Australia (Viking) * 1987 – ''Birds of Australia Logbook''. Viking O’Neill Australia. * 1998 – ''Birdwatching in Australia and New Zealand''. (With Zoe Wilson). Reed New Holland: Sydney.

References

1938 births 2014 deaths Australian ornithologists Ornithological writers Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria {{Australia-ornithologist-stub Scientists from Sydney Academic staff of Deakin University