Gordon Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Gordon Buchanan is a Scottish
wildlife film maker noted for his contributions to Big Cat Diary, Springwatch, Natural World and the 'Lost Land of the...' series.
. As a child Buchanan was a fan of David Attenborough
's television shows and Survival
, a nature show.
Buchanan's career in wildlife photography began when Nick Gordon, whose wife owned the restaurant Buchanan was working in, invited Buchanan to become Gordon's camera assistant for a project he was completing in Sierra Leone
. Buchanan was there for almost a year before the project had to be abandoned due to the danger presented by the civil unrest in the country. Buchanan left school to join Nick Gordon on this trip and continued to work with him on his next projects in Venezuela
and Brazil
.
Buchanan began to work independently in 1995 and in time became known for his films of big cats and worked on Big Cat Diary
. He also returned to his home on the Isle of Mull to film white tailed eagles. The resulting Natural World episode, "Eagle Island", received good reviews. He also filmed the Natural World episode "Leopards of Yala".
Buchanan has filmed foxes
for Springwatch and Autumnwatch in Glasgow
, where he currently lives. Buchanan's coverage of grey seal
pups was identified as one of the highlights of the show. He then returned for Springwatch 2008 completing a series on people with amazing wildlife stories including a one-off Springwatch special. In Autumnwatch 2008 he traveled to the Farne Islands
to film grey seal
pups again. In early 2009 Buchanan worked with the BBC, filming the Land of the Lost Volcano. Filming took place during the month of February 2009, around Papua New Guinea, and its islands. In December 2010
, a documentary called The Bear Family and Me
aired on the BBC. It showed the year which Buchanan spent with black bears in Minnesota
, USA.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
wildlife film maker noted for his contributions to Big Cat Diary, Springwatch, Natural World and the 'Lost Land of the...' series.
Life
Buchanan grew up on the Isle of MullIsle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
. As a child Buchanan was a fan of David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
's television shows and Survival
Survival (TV series)
Survival is one of television's longest-running and most successful nature documentary series. Originally produced by Anglia Television for ITV in the United Kingdom, it was created by Aubrey Buxton , a founder director of Anglia TV, and first broadcast in 1961...
, a nature show.
Buchanan's career in wildlife photography began when Nick Gordon, whose wife owned the restaurant Buchanan was working in, invited Buchanan to become Gordon's camera assistant for a project he was completing in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Buchanan was there for almost a year before the project had to be abandoned due to the danger presented by the civil unrest in the country. Buchanan left school to join Nick Gordon on this trip and continued to work with him on his next projects in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Buchanan began to work independently in 1995 and in time became known for his films of big cats and worked on Big Cat Diary
Big Cat Diary
Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live, is a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would...
. He also returned to his home on the Isle of Mull to film white tailed eagles. The resulting Natural World episode, "Eagle Island", received good reviews. He also filmed the Natural World episode "Leopards of Yala".
Buchanan has filmed foxes
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
for Springwatch and Autumnwatch in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, where he currently lives. Buchanan's coverage of grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
pups was identified as one of the highlights of the show. He then returned for Springwatch 2008 completing a series on people with amazing wildlife stories including a one-off Springwatch special. In Autumnwatch 2008 he traveled to the Farne Islands
Farne Islands
The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 or more islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 2.5–7.5 km distant from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group...
to film grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
pups again. In early 2009 Buchanan worked with the BBC, filming the Land of the Lost Volcano. Filming took place during the month of February 2009, around Papua New Guinea, and its islands. In December 2010
December 2010
December 2010 was the twelfth month of that year. It began on a Wednesday and ended after 31 days on a Friday.-Portal:Current events:This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from December 2010....
, a documentary called The Bear Family and Me
The Bear Family & Me
'The Bear Family & Me' was a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. It follows wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan as he spends a year with a family of wild Black Bears, under the guidance of biologists Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield of the North American Bear...
aired on the BBC. It showed the year which Buchanan spent with black bears in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, USA.