Jonathan Elphick
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Elphick is a natural history
author, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London
and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
. He is author of The Birdwatcher's Handbook: A Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland; Birds: The Art of Ornithology and The Natural History Museum Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds, which received Bird Watching Magazine's 'Best Bird Reference Book of the Year'; as well as co-author of the Encyclopedia of Animals; the RSPB Pocket Birds; A Unique Photographic Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe with Jonathan Woodward and The National Parks and other Wild Places of Britain and Ireland, with photography by David Tipling
.
He has also been consultant, editor or author on a variety of other books, articles and CD-ROMs including Coastline with Greenpeace
, and the BBC
production of The Realms of the Russian Bear
.
, in what was then the historic county of Flintshire
until re-organisation made it part of Clwyd
and then Denbighshire
; Jonathan Elphick was raised in North Wales
, surrounded by a mountainous and beautiful mosaic of habitats: including traditional mixed farmland, woods, rivers, lakes, hills and coastlines. He spent the first four years of his life in Rhyl
, then moved to Dyserth
, where he attended Ysgol Hiraddug, Dyserth
, moving on to St Asaph
's Grammar School
and ultimately University College, Swansea (1964–1968), one of the four colleges comprising the University of Wales
.
Birdlife in North Wales in the early 1950s was relatively unaffected by agricultural developments and other changes, that proved to be major factors in the decline of many British birds
.
Inspired by, among others, the writings of Bruce Campbell
one of the foremost ornithologists of the day, Elphick's journey through ornithological literature began with the paperback Bird Watching for Beginners and Campbell's Birds in Colour. Migrating from the Bird Recognition paperback guides (by the ornthologist James Fisher
) he came under the influence of the Nature Conservancy warden at Newborough Warren
National Nature Reserve
, on the Isle of Anglesey, Peter Hope-Jones. In 1969 Elphick gained a BSc. degree in Zoology
and secured a job as a Natural history
editor, working as an in-house editor for various publishers including Dorling Kindersley
, eventually going freelance and specialising in Birds.
on the best-selling book Birds Britannica, written by Mark Cocker
. He specialises in the cultural history of birds and our changing attitudes to them. His work encompasses a variety of aspects that interest him, including practical field ornithology
, biological research, the history of natural history, as well as ornithological art, all of which inform his personal reaction to birds. Elphick is a keen conservationist
who has travelled extensively to both study and make people aware of the importance of the Conservation movement
at home and abroad.
in London
is the repository for some half a million works on paper and one million books, which are the sources for some exceptionally beautiful and important images of birds. Many are from rare sources. Elphick's work is a selection of art works from this archive, including the work of artists such as John James Audubon
, along with Victorian
explorers
, who catalogued the world’s avifauna
before the age of photography. It documents the work of many natural history
artists, such as John Gould
, William MacGillivray
and Ferdinand Bauer
. The text interweaves ornithological science, art history, biography, travel and other aspects of the subject to paint a picture of the artists and the birds they painted.
, and due to be published later this year, is GREAT BIRDS: 200 Star Species of Britain.
and the naturalist and author Mark Cocker
, undertaking the Birds and People
project. Birds and People
is a ten-year long, groundbreaking collaboration between the publishers Random House
and BirdLife International
, to survey and document worldwide, the cultural significance of birds. The Birds and People project involves an open internet forum
, for individuals worldwide to document their reflections, experiences and stories about bird.. The final book is intended as a global chorus on the relationship between human beings and birds.
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
author, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
. He is author of The Birdwatcher's Handbook: A Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland; Birds: The Art of Ornithology and The Natural History Museum Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds, which received Bird Watching Magazine's 'Best Bird Reference Book of the Year'; as well as co-author of the Encyclopedia of Animals; the RSPB Pocket Birds; A Unique Photographic Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe with Jonathan Woodward and The National Parks and other Wild Places of Britain and Ireland, with photography by David Tipling
David Tipling
David Tipling is a professional wildlife photographer with an international reputation. His highly distinctive images have earned him many awards and accolades...
.
He has also been consultant, editor or author on a variety of other books, articles and CD-ROMs including Coastline with Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
production of The Realms of the Russian Bear
Russian Bear
The Russian Bear is a national personification for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays at least since the 17th century, and relating alike to Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the present-day Russian Federation....
.
Background and education
Born in 1945, in PrestatynPrestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, in what was then the historic county of Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....
until re-organisation made it part of Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
and then Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
; Jonathan Elphick was raised in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, surrounded by a mountainous and beautiful mosaic of habitats: including traditional mixed farmland, woods, rivers, lakes, hills and coastlines. He spent the first four years of his life in Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
, then moved to Dyserth
Dyserth
Dyserth is a village in Denbighshire, Wales. Population : 2,566 . Its main features are the extensive quarrying remains, its waterfalls, railway line , and mountain ....
, where he attended Ysgol Hiraddug, Dyserth
Dyserth
Dyserth is a village in Denbighshire, Wales. Population : 2,566 . Its main features are the extensive quarrying remains, its waterfalls, railway line , and mountain ....
, moving on to St Asaph
St Asaph
St Asaph is a town and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele,...
's Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and ultimately University College, Swansea (1964–1968), one of the four colleges comprising the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
Birdlife in North Wales in the early 1950s was relatively unaffected by agricultural developments and other changes, that proved to be major factors in the decline of many British birds
British Birds
British Birds could refer to* The magazine British Birds.* Birds recorded in Great Britain, see List of British birds....
.
Inspired by, among others, the writings of Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell (ornithologist)
Bruce Campbell was an English ornithologist, writer, and broadcaster. He has long worked for the British Trust for Ornithology ....
one of the foremost ornithologists of the day, Elphick's journey through ornithological literature began with the paperback Bird Watching for Beginners and Campbell's Birds in Colour. Migrating from the Bird Recognition paperback guides (by the ornthologist James Fisher
James Fisher
James Maxwell McConnell Fisher was a British author, editor, broadcaster, naturalist and ornithologist...
) he came under the influence of the Nature Conservancy warden at Newborough Warren
Newborough Warren
Newborough Warren near the village of Newborough is part of a National Nature Reserve, in Anglesey, Wales. It includes Llanddwyn Bay and Malltraeth Bay, divided by Llanddwyn Island, and part of the Anglesey Coastal Path ....
National Nature Reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, on the Isle of Anglesey, Peter Hope-Jones. In 1969 Elphick gained a BSc. degree in Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and secured a job as a Natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
editor, working as an in-house editor for various publishers including Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley is an international publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 51 languages. It is currently part of the Penguin Group....
, eventually going freelance and specialising in Birds.
Themes and interests
Elphick worked for five years as researcherResearcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
on the best-selling book Birds Britannica, written by Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker is a British author and naturalist. He lives and works deep in the Norfolk countryside with his wife Mary Muir and two daughters in claxton...
. He specialises in the cultural history of birds and our changing attitudes to them. His work encompasses a variety of aspects that interest him, including practical field ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
, biological research, the history of natural history, as well as ornithological art, all of which inform his personal reaction to birds. Elphick is a keen conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
who has travelled extensively to both study and make people aware of the importance of the Conservation movement
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
at home and abroad.
Art and ornithology
The Natural History MuseumNatural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is the repository for some half a million works on paper and one million books, which are the sources for some exceptionally beautiful and important images of birds. Many are from rare sources. Elphick's work is a selection of art works from this archive, including the work of artists such as John James Audubon
John James Audubon
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
, along with Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
explorers
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
, who catalogued the world’s avifauna
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
before the age of photography. It documents the work of many natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
artists, such as John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
, William MacGillivray
William MacGillivray
William MacGillivray FRSE MWS was a Scottish naturalist and ornithologist.MacGillivray was born in Old Aberdeen and brought up on the island of Harris. He returned to Aberdeen where he attended King's College, graduating MA in 1815. He studied medicine, but did not complete the course...
and Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer was an Austrian botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Flinders' expedition to Australia.-Biography:...
. The text interweaves ornithological science, art history, biography, travel and other aspects of the subject to paint a picture of the artists and the birds they painted.
Latest work
Elphick's latest work, undertaken with the photographer David TiplingDavid Tipling
David Tipling is a professional wildlife photographer with an international reputation. His highly distinctive images have earned him many awards and accolades...
, and due to be published later this year, is GREAT BIRDS: 200 Star Species of Britain.
Birds and People
Elphick is part of a team of naturalists and authors, including the British wildlife photographer David TiplingDavid Tipling
David Tipling is a professional wildlife photographer with an international reputation. His highly distinctive images have earned him many awards and accolades...
and the naturalist and author Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker is a British author and naturalist. He lives and works deep in the Norfolk countryside with his wife Mary Muir and two daughters in claxton...
, undertaking the Birds and People
Birds and People
Birds and People is a ten-year long, groundbreaking collaboration between the publishers Random House and BirdLife International, to survey and document worldwide, the cultural significance of birds.. The Birds and People project involves an open internet forum, for individuals worldwide to...
project. Birds and People
Birds and People
Birds and People is a ten-year long, groundbreaking collaboration between the publishers Random House and BirdLife International, to survey and document worldwide, the cultural significance of birds.. The Birds and People project involves an open internet forum, for individuals worldwide to...
is a ten-year long, groundbreaking collaboration between the publishers Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
and BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
, to survey and document worldwide, the cultural significance of birds. The Birds and People project involves an open internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, for individuals worldwide to document their reflections, experiences and stories about bird.. The final book is intended as a global chorus on the relationship between human beings and birds.