ADAM WATSON: A REFLECTION

Dave Windle

By the time that you read this, you will all have read several obituaries for Adam Watson and so I won't be adding to the list. I thought that I would look back on his involvement with the NEMT, which is how I came to know him.

We relied on his knowledge and experience to an extraordinary extent. He enabled us to punch above our weight, particularly on the subjects of mountain hares and raptor persecution. Over the years, he had built up relationships with the stalkers and older keepers (before the influx of English keepers brought in as part of the intensification drive) and could be relied on to bring their perspective into the discussion. These relationships were unique – something that has vanished from modern scientific research. His seminal work on grouse ecology enabled him to help them as much as or more than they helped him.

Although he didn't suffer fools gladly, particularly scientific fools, he always had time for people looking to learn. On many an evening, he would happily spend hours answering my most basic of questions. At meetings on NEMT matters, he was unfailingly helpful in helping us understand the science of what was going on. He didn't always know the answer to an obscure question but he always knew somebody who did and that somebody was usually very helpful and very knowledgeable. In one form or another, his input featured in every issue of Mountain Views and in every reply to a consultation. His role as Chief Expert Witness at the Feith Buidhe Disaster inquiry exemplified his wide range of mountain knowledge and that is exactly how we used him.

In the early days, he provided wise counsel as we discussed different courses of action, such as what to do about the deliberate destruction of a nest used by a pair of eagles. Many times, he encouraged a more moderate approach, avoiding alienating people, particularly the officers involved. As he aged, seeing no improvement and far from mellowing, he grew increasingly intolerant of officialdom's bungling incompetence.

He was never afraid of going against the flow and his views on Nan Shepherd's writing are a good example of that. He was always happy to question mainstream thought both in the field of culture and mountain ecology.

NEMT will be the poorer for his passing but we are very clear about what he wanted us to continue to do.

Please let the webmaster know if there are problems with viewing these pages or with the links they contain.