Nicolas Day
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Day is an Australia
n 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 Melbourne Zoo
before turning to wildlife illustration as a career in 1977. He joined a 1997 expedition to Raine Island
as the natural history artist, as well as participating in field trips to the Outer Hebrides
and subantarctic
Macquarie Island
. He has been the principal artist of the popular Field Guide to the Birds of Australia
, coauthored with Ken Simpson and commonly referred to as “Simpson & Day”, which has been published in eight editions from 1984 to 2010, selling over 500,000 copies.
, books featuring Day’s illustrations include:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n wildlife artist
Wildlife art
Wildlife art is one of humanity's earliest art forms, dating back to prehistoric cave paintings such as those found at the grotto of Lascaux in France....
, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Day was born in Surrey, England, and moved to Australia at the age of ten. Having acquired an early interest in 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...
, he worked as a keeper
Zookeeper
A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...
at the Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
before turning to wildlife illustration as a career in 1977. He joined a 1997 expedition to Raine Island
Raine Island
Raine Island is a vegetated coral cay that is 32 hectares in total area and is situated on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef, approximately north north west of Cairns, Queensland, Australia, and about 120 km east-north-east of Cape Grenville, Cape York Peninsula...
as the natural history artist, as well as participating in field trips to the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
and subantarctic
Subantarctic
The Subantarctic is a region in the southern hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° – 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and...
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
. He has been the principal artist of the popular Field Guide to the Birds of Australia
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Simpson & Day)
The Simpson & Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia is one of the main national bird field guides used by Australian birders, which over the years has evolved through several revised and updated editions...
, coauthored with Ken Simpson and commonly referred to as “Simpson & Day”, which has been published in eight editions from 1984 to 2010, selling over 500,000 copies.
Publications
As well as the “Simpson & Day” field guideField guide
A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence . It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects...
, books featuring Day’s illustrations include:
- 1993 – Field Guide to the Birds of the ACT (with McComas Taylor)
- 1996–2006 – Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic BirdsHandbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic BirdsThe Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, known as HANZAB, is the pre-eminent scientific reference on Birds in the region, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the surrounding ocean and islands...
- 2000 – Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia (with Chris Doughty and Andrew Plant)