Bobby Tulloch

Robert "Bobby" John Tulloch[1] MBE (4 January 1929 – 21 May 1996) was a naturalist[2] from the Shetland Islands,[3][4] in the north of Scotland.

"Robert Tulloch" redirects here. For the convicted murderer, see Dartmouth Murders.
Bobby Tulloch
Bobby Tulloch at the site of the snowy owl nest on the island of Fetlar, Shetland, 1967
Born
Robert John Tulloch

(1929-01-04)January 4, 1929
Aywick, Yell, Shetland, Scotland
DiedMay 24, 1996(1996-05-24) (aged 67)
Shetland, Scotland
NationalityBritish
Other names"Tucker" (nickname)
OccupationNaturalist and writer
Known forRSPB warden in Shetland; discovering nesting snowy owls in Shetland in 1967
Notable work
Bobby Tulloch's Shetland: An islander, his islands and their wildlife (1988)

Bobby Tulloch was born on a croft at Aywick on the eastern side of Yell, as the oldest of four children, and lived much of his life in the village of Mid Yell. He served national service in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.[5]

Tulloch started as an apprentice baker with his brother-in-law and remained in the trade until 1964, when after meeting George Waterston of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), he was appointed as RSPB warden in Shetland.[5] He was especially associated with the snowy owls that started breeding on the island of Fetlar in 1967. He featured in a number of BBC Natural History Unit programmes, including a personal recounting of his discovery of the snow owls nesting on Fetlar, originally broadcast in 1974 on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Living World and rebroadcast by Lindsey Chapman in 2019.[6][7]

Bobby Tulloch was an artist, boatman, musician, naturalist, photographer, storyteller and writer. In 1994, he was awarded an MBE. He was nicknamed "Tucker" by his friends.[8] He has been described as one of Shetland’s "greatest-ever ambassadors".[9] A book of reminiscences about Bobby Tulloch, Bobby the Birdman, was published in 2016.[10][11]

Selected books
  • Bobby Tulloch and Fred Hunter, Guide to Shetland Birds. The Shetland Times, 1979. ISBN 0-900662-22-0. Paperback.
  • Bobby Tulloch, Bobby Tulloch's Shetland: An islander, his islands and their wildlife. Macmillan, 1988. ISBN 0-333-45673-4. Hardcover. (Introduction by Lord Grimond.)
  • Bobby Tulloch, Migrations: Travels of a Naturalist. Kyle Cathie, 1991. ISBN 1-85626-016-X. Hardcover.
  • Bobby Tulloch, Otters. Worldlife Library S., Colin Baxter Photography, 1994/1999. ISBN 1-84107-009-2. Paperback.

References
  1. Coutts, Dennis (24 May 1996). "Bobby Tulloch: Obituary". The Independent.
  2. "Bobby Tulloch". www.highlandnaturalists.com. Highland Naturalists.
  3. "Bobby Tulloch". shetlopedia.com. Shetlopedia.
  4. "Mr. Shetland – Bobby Tulloch". scotlandsnature.blog. Scotland's Nature. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. "Bobby Tulloch Profile". www.bobbytulloch.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. "A Visit to Shetland (Bobby Tulloch)". BBC Radio 4 Living World. UK: BBC. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2020. (First broadcast in 1974.)
  7. "Lindsey Chapman's Living World From the Archives – Bobby Tulloch". BBC Radio 4 Best of Natural History Radio. UK: BBC. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2020. (First broadcast in 1974.)
  8. "Bobby Tulloch". www.oldhaa.com. Old Haa Museum. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. Marter, Hans J. (28 November 2016). "Reviews / Fond memories of the Bobby the birdman". The Shetland News. UK. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  10. Wills, Jonathan; McDonnell, Mike, eds. (2016). Bobby the Birdman: An Anthology Celebrating the Life and Work of Bobby Tulloch. Burlinn. ISBN 978-1780274225.
  11. "Bobby the Birdman". Bookshop. UK: The Shetland Times. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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