Eastern Greylags at the foot of the Caucasus

Sir Peter Markham Scott was an ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman. Born in London, he was the only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who died when Peter was only two years old. Robert famously left instructions to his wife, sculptor Kathleen Bruce, regarding Peter, to 'try and make the boy interested in natural history if you can.'

Scott initially read Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge but graduated in History of Art in 1931 and held his first solo exhibition in London in 1933. In addition to his lasting legacy as a wildlife artist, Scott was an avid sportsman and in 1936 he represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at Sailing in the Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal. An active conservationist, Scott was one of the founders of the World Wide Fund for Nature and his pioneering work in conservation contributed greatly to the shift in policy of the International Whaling Commission and the signing of the Antarctic Treaty.