View source for Peter Scott

{{short description|British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989)}}
{{Other people|Peter Scott}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]]
| name               = Peter Scott
| honorific_suffix   = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CH|CBE|DSC*|FRS|FZS}}
| image              = Peter scott in 1954 arp.jpg
| image_size         = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = Scott in 1954
| birth_name         = Peter Markham Scott
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=y|1909|09|14}}
| birth_place        = London, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|df=y|1989|08|29|1909|09|14}}
| death_place        = [[Bristol]], England
| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} -->
| monuments          = Statue of Sir Peter Scott at the [[WWT London Wetland Centre]], busts at each of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Elizabeth Jane Howard]]|1942|1951|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Philippa Scott|Philippa Talbot-Ponsonby]]|1951}}
}}
| children           = 3
| parents            = [[Robert Falcon Scott]]<br/>[[Kathleen Scott|Kathleen Bruce]]
| relatives          = [[Wayland Young, 2nd Baron Kennet]] (half-brother)
| occupation         = [[Ornithologist]], [[conservation movement|conservationist]], aviculturist, painter, [[naval officer]], broadcaster
| known_for          = Conservation, [[WWT Slimbridge]], painting, WWF
}}

'''Sir Peter Markham Scott''' (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British [[ornithologist]], [[conservation movement|conservationist]], painter, [[naval officer]], broadcaster and [[Sportsperson|sportsman]]. The only child of Antarctic explorer [[Robert Falcon Scott]], he took an interest in observing and shooting [[wildfowl]] at a young age and later took to their breeding.

He established the [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] in [[Slimbridge]] in 1946 and helped found the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]], the logo of which he designed. He was a yachting enthusiast from an early age and took up gliding in mid-life. He was part of the UK team for the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] and [[Sailing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – O-Jolle|won a bronze medal in sailing a one-man dinghy]]. He was knighted in 1973 for his work in [[Conservation biology|conservation]] of wild animals and was also a recipient of the WWF Gold Medal and the [[J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize]].

==Early life==
[[File:East Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 1528361.jpg|thumb|The East Lighthouse beside the [[River Nene|Nene Outfall]] at [[Sutton Bridge]], Lincolnshire, has a [[blue plaque]] recording that Scott lived there, 1933–1939]]
Scott was born in London at 174, [[Buckingham Palace Road]], the only child of [[Antarctic explorer]] [[Robert Falcon Scott]] and his wife, [[Kathleen Scott|Kathleen]] ({{nee}} Edith Agnes Kathleen Bruce), a sculptor. He was only two years old when his father died. Robert Scott, in a last letter to his wife, advised her to "make the boy interested in [[natural history]] if you can; it is better than games."<ref>''Scott's Last Expedition'', Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1913 OCLC 15522514</ref><ref>[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/11/to-my-widow.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109085446/http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/11/to-my-widow.html|date=9 November 2011}} Robert Falcon Scott's letter to his widow.</ref> He was named after Sir [[Clements Markham]], mentor of Scott's polar expeditions, and a [[Godparent|godfather]] along with [[J. M. Barrie]], creator of [[Peter Pan (character)|Peter Pan]].<ref>Scott (1966):22.</ref>

Kathleen Scott remarried in 1922. Her second husband, [[Hilton Young]] (later Lord Kennet), became stepfather to Peter. In 1923, Peter Scott's half-brother, [[Wayland Young]], was born. Scott was educated at [[Oundle School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], initially reading [[Natural Science Tripos|Natural Sciences]] but graduating in the History of Art in 1931. At Cambridge, he shared lodging with [[John Berry (zoologist)|John Berry]] and the two shared many views.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/obits_alpha/berry_john.pdf |title=John Berry (obituary)|last=Smout|first=Thomas Christopher|date=18 August 2004<!--from PDF source-->|page=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419063554/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/obits_alpha/berry_john.pdf |archive-date=19 April 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As a student he was also an active member of the [[Cambridge University Cruising Club]], sailing against Oxford in the 1929 and 1930 Varsity Matches. He studied art at the State Academy in Munich<ref>Scott (1966): 83-90.</ref> for a year followed by studies at the Royal Academy Schools, London.<ref>Scott (1966): 91-99.</ref>  One of the few non-wildlife paintings that he produced during his career, ''Dinghies Racing on Lake Ontario'',<ref>[http://www.cucrc.org/?page_id=1081 Sir Peter Scott's painting of sailing dinghies], cucrc.org. Accessed 19 April 2024.</ref> is held by the Cambridge University Cruising Club.

{{MedalTop}}
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|sailing]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin/Kiel]]|[[Sailing at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Monotype class]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
Like his mother, he displayed a strong artistic talent and he became known as a painter of wildlife, particularly birds; he had his first exhibition in London in 1933. His wealthy background allowed him to follow his interests in art, wildlife and many sports, including [[wildfowling]], [[sailing]], [[gliding]] and [[ice skating]]. He represented [[British Olympic Committee|Great Britain and Northern Ireland]] at [[sailing at the 1936 Summer Olympics]], winning a [[bronze medal]]<ref>[http://www.ocss.org.uk/?page_id=2292] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716165736/http://www.ocss.org.uk/?page_id=2292|date=16 July 2018}} Photo of Peter Scott receiving his bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics</ref> in the [[O-Jolle]] monotype class.<ref>Scott (1966): 123-129.</ref> He also participated in the Prince of Wales Cup in 1938 during which he and his crew on the ''Thunder and Lightning'' dinghy designed a modified wearable harness (now known as a [[Trapeze (sailing)|trapeze]]) that helped them win.<ref>Scott (1966): 139-142.</ref>

==Military service==
[[File:Motor Gun Boats during the Second World War, 1939-1945 HU105409.jpg|thumb|left|[[Steam Gun Boat]], SGB S309, under the command of [[Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy)|Lieutenant Commander]] Peter Scott]]

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], Scott served in the [[Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve]]. As a sub-lieutenant, during the failed evacuation of the [[51st Highland Division]] he was the British naval officer sent ashore at [[Saint-Valery-en-Caux]] in the early hours of 11 June 1940 to evacuate some of the wounded. This was the last evacuation of British troops from the port area of St Valery that was not disrupted by enemy fire.<ref>Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, ''Dunkirk Fight to the Last Man'' Viking, 2006</ref>

[[File:HMS Vernon 1.jpg|thumb|At a light coastal forces base, [[HMS Vernon (shore establishment)|HMS ''Vernon'']], Operational Officer Lieutenant Commander Scott, briefs motor torpedo boat officers before they set off on anti-[[E-Boat]] patrols, June 1944]]

Then he served in [[destroyer]]s in the North Atlantic but later moved to commanding the First (and only) Squadron of [[Steam Gun Boat]]s against German [[E-boats]] in the [[English Channel]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/78/a5567178.shtml BBC WW2 Peoples War] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201103315/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/78/a5567178.shtml |date=1 December 2009 }} accessed 11 December 2007</ref>

Scott is credited with designing the [[Western Approaches]] [[ship camouflage]] scheme, which disguised ship superstructures. In July 1940, he managed to get the destroyer [[HMS Broke (D83)|HMS ''Broke'']], in which he was serving, experimentally camouflaged, differently on the two sides. To starboard, the ship was painted blue-grey all over, but with white in naturally shadowed areas as [[countershading]], following the ideas of [[Abbott Handerson Thayer]] from the First World War. To port, the ship was painted in "bright pale colours" to combine some disruption of shape with the ability to fade out during the night, again with shadowed areas painted white. However, he later wrote that compromise was fatal to camouflage, and that invisibility at night (by painting ships in white or other pale colours) had to be the sole objective. By May 1941, all ships in the Western Approaches (the North Atlantic) were ordered to be painted in Scott's camouflage scheme. The scheme was said to be so effective that several British ships including HMS ''Broke'' collided with each other. The effectiveness of Scott's and Thayer's ideas was demonstrated experimentally by the Leamington Camouflage Centre in 1941. Under a cloudy overcast sky, the tests showed that a white ship could approach six miles (9.6&nbsp;km) closer than a black-painted ship before being seen.<ref>Forbes, Peter (2009). ''[[Dazzled and Deceived: Mimicry and Camouflage]]''. Yale. Pages 172–173.</ref>

On 8 July 1941, it was announced that Scott had been [[mentioned in despatches]] "for good services in rescuing survivors from a burning Vessel" in April 1941 while serving on HMS ''Broke''.<ref name="LG 4 July 1941">{{London Gazette |issue=35212 |date=4 July 1941 |page=3916 |supp=y }}</ref> On 2 October 1942, it was announced that he had again been mentioned in despatches "for gallantry, daring and skill in the [[Dieppe Raid|combined attack on Dieppe]]".<ref name="LG 2 October 1942">{{London Gazette |issue=35729 |date=2 October 1942 |page=4324 |supp=y }}</ref> He was further mentioned in despatches on 28 September 1943 for an action in the English Channel on 26 July 1943. On 1 June 1943, he was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] (DSC) "for skill and gallantry in action with enemy light forces"<ref name="LG 28 May 1943">{{London Gazette |issue=36038 |date=28 May 1943 |pages=2525–2526  |supp=y }}</ref> for an action in the English Channel on 15 April 1943 while commanding H.M. Steam Gunboat "Grey Goose". In the ''London Gazette'' of 9 November 1943, he was awarded a Bar to the DSC for actions in the English Channel on the 4th and 27 September 1943 while commanding the First SGB Flotilla. He was appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] in the Military Division (MBE) in the [[1942 Birthday Honours]].<ref name="LG 5 June 1942">{{London Gazette |issue=35586 |date=5 June 1942 |pages=2481–2482  }}</ref>

==Postwar life==
[[File:Nene Egg signed by Sir Peter Scott.jpg|left|thumb|[[Nene (bird)|Nene]] egg signed by Scott]]

Scott stood as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] in the [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945 general election]] in [[Wembley North]] and narrowly failed to be elected. In 1946, he founded the organisation with which he was ever afterwards closely associated, the Severn Wildfowl Trust (now the [[Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust]]) with its headquarters at [[WWT Slimbridge|Slimbridge]] in Gloucestershire. There, through a captive breeding programme, he saved the [[Nene (bird)|nene]] or Hawaiian goose from extinction in the 1950s. In the years that followed, he led [[ornithological]] expeditions worldwide, and became a television personality, popularising the study of [[wildfowl]] and [[wetlands]].<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Peter Scott: A Passion for Nature |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074tds |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=BBC 4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moore |first=Chris |date=Dec 2022 |title=Memoirs: Sir Peter Markham Scott CH. 14 September 1909—29 August 1989 |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.2022.0019#:~:text=Conservationist%2C%20scientist%2C%20artist%2C%20author,movement%20in%20the%20twentieth%20century. |journal=Biogr. Mem. Fellows R. Soc. |volume=73 |pages=421–443 |doi=10.1098/rsbm.2022.0019 |via=Royal Society Publishers|doi-access=free }}</ref>

His [[BBC]] [[natural history]] series, ''Look'', ran from 1955 to 1969 and made him a household name. It included the first BBC natural history film to be shown in colour, ''[[The Private Life of the Kingfisher]]'' (1968), which he narrated.<ref>{{Cite episode | title = The Private Life of the Kingfisher | series=Countryfile | series-link=Countryfile | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nh58w | access-date=14 October 2012 | network=BBC | date=14 October 2012}}</ref> He wrote and illustrated several books on the subject, including his autobiography, ''The Eye of the Wind'' (1961). In the 1950s, he also appeared regularly on [[BBC Home Service|BBC radio]]'s ''[[Children's Hour]]'', in the series, "Nature Parliament".<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/abc624fd8a9a480dae3eba3346175e3a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509130007/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/abc624fd8a9a480dae3eba3346175e3a |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 May 2022 |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|date=23 June 1953 }}</ref>

[[File:Midwinter 'Wild Geese' pattern - 2023-03-24 - Andy Mabbett (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Three pieces of [[Midwinter Pottery]] 'Wild Geese' pattern tableware, with Scott's 1954 designs applied to "Stylecraft" shapes by Roy Midwinter, circa 1952, displayed in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], London<ref>V&A exhibit label</ref>]]

In the early 1950s, his designs were used on a range of tableware, "Wild Geese", by [[Midwinter Pottery]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wild Geese |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O151799/wild-geese-coffee-set-scott-peter/ |publisher=V&A Museum |access-date=21 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vintage 1950s Midwinter Pottery Wild Geese Tea Service Pieces designed by Peter Scott |url=https://www.clutterfingers.com/listing/586911892/vintage-1950s-midwinter-pottery-wild |website=Clutterfingers Vintage & Retro |access-date=21 June 2023}}</ref>

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1956 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the [[King's Theatre, Hammersmith]], London.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

[[File:Scott WWT London.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue at the [[WWT London Wetland Centre]]]]

As a member of the [[Species Survival Commission]] of the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]], he helped create the [[Red Data List|Red Data books]], the group's lists of endangered species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Collar|first=N. J.|date=April 1996|title=The reasons for Red Data Books|journal=Oryx|language=en|volume=30|issue=2|pages=121–130|doi=10.1017/S0030605300021505|issn=1365-3008|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Scott was the founder President of the [[Society of Wildlife Artists]] and President of the [[Nature in Art]] Trust<ref name="NatureInArt">{{cite web |url=http://nature-in-art.org.uk/trust.html |title=Nature in Art Trust |publisher=Nature in Art Trust |access-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509223727/http://www.nature-in-art.org.uk/trust.html |archive-date=9 May 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> (a role in which [[Philippa Scott|his wife Philippa]] succeeded him).<ref name="NatureInArt" /> Scott tutored numerous artists including [[Paul Karslake]].

===Gliding champion and chairman===
Scott took up [[gliding]] in 1956 at the Bristol Gliding club, close to his Slimbridge site.  He was able to buy his own glider and started to fly cross-country. This developed to competing in gliding competitions and he was British champion in 1963. 

He also joined gliding committees (not normal for competition pilots) and became chairman of the [[British Gliding Association]] (BGA) for two years from 1968.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gliding.co.uk/bga/|title=BGA}}</ref> He was also president of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club. 

He was able to interest [[Prince Philip]] in gliding{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} and the prince was guest of honour at a couple of British Gliding Championships.

===Later events===
From 1973 to 1983, Scott was [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[University of Birmingham]]. In 1979, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) from the [[University of Bath]].<ref>{{cite web  |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/  |title=Honorary Graduates 1989 to present  |work=bath.ac.uk  |publisher=[[University of Bath]]  |access-date=18 February 2012  |archive-date=19 December 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219000643/http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/  |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

Scott continued with his love of sailing, skippering the [[12 Metre]] [[yacht]] ''[[Sovereign (yacht)|Sovereign]]'' in the 1964 challenge for the [[America's Cup]] which was held by the United States. ''Sovereign'' suffered a whitewash 4–0 defeat in a one-sided competition where the American boat was of a noticeably faster design. From 1955 to 1969 he was the president of the [[International Yacht Racing Union]] (now World Sailing).<ref>[https://www.sailing.org/about/history.php#.XrvUhWhKg6Q] World Sailing history page containing list of Presidents 1946 to date.</ref>

He was one of the founders of the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] (WWF, formerly called the World Wildlife Fund), and designed its [[panda]] logo. His pioneering work in conservation also contributed greatly to the shift in policy of the [[International Whaling Commission]] and signing of the [[Antarctic Treaty]], the latter inspired by his visit to his father's base on [[Ross Island]] in Antarctica.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}  In 1986 he received the WWF Gold Medal.<ref>{{cite web|title=WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Award|url=https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/wwf_awards/wwf_duke_of_edinburgh_conservation_award/ |publisher=World Wide Fund For Nature|access-date=22 January 2016}}</ref> In the same year he received the [[J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize]] for his role as cofounder of WWF and his life-long contributions to saving endangered wildlife.<ref name=past>{{cite web
| title = List of past winners
| publisher = [[World Wide Fund for Nature]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-23
| url = http://www.worldwildlife.org/about/gettyprize/winners.cfm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080317103531/http://www.worldwildlife.org/about/gettyprize/winners.cfm
| archive-date = 2008-03-17
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

Scott was a long-time vice-president of the [[British Naturalists' Association]], whose [[British Naturalists' Association#Peter Scott Memorial Award|Peter Scott Memorial Award]] was instituted after his death, to commemorate his achievements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bna-naturalists.org/awards/|title=Awards – British Naturalists' Association|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509165215/https://bna-naturalists.org/awards/|archive-date=9 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He died of a heart attack on 29 August 1989 in [[Bristol]], at age 79.<ref name="tatler">{{cite journal|title=Sir Peter Scott|journal=Singapore Tatler|issue=November 1989|pages=117–119}}</ref>

==Documentaries==
Scott narrated ''[[Wild Wings]]'', a 1966 British short [[documentary film]], produced by [[British Transport Films]]. In 1967, it won an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film|Best Short Subject]] at the [[39th Academy Awards]].<ref>[https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film379388.html FilmAffinity]</ref>

In August 1986, an ITV Special was transmitted by [[Central Independent Television]] (Production No.6407) on Scott entitled ''Interest the Boy in Nature'' featuring [[Konrad Lorenz]], Prince Philip, [[David Attenborough]] and [[Gerald Durrell]]; written, produced and directed by Robin Brown.

In 1996 Scott's life and work in wildlife conservation was celebrated in a major BBC [[Natural World (TV series)|''Natural World'']] documentary, produced by Andrew Cooper and narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Filmed across three continents from Hawaii to the Russian arctic, ''In the Eye of the Wind'' was the [[BBC Natural History Unit]]'s tribute to Scott and the organisation he founded, the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, on its 50th anniversary.

In June 2004, Scott and Sir David Attenborough were jointly profiled in the second of a three-part [[BBC Two]] series, ''[[The Way We Went Wild]]'', about television wildlife presenters and were described as being largely responsible for the way that the British and much of the world view wildlife.

Scott's life was also the subject of a [[BBC Four]] documentary called ''Peter Scott – A Passion for Nature'' produced in 2006 by Available Light Productions (Bristol).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074tds|title=Peter Scott: A Passion for Nature |publisher=BBC|access-date=26 January 2017}}</ref>

==Loch Ness Monster==
In 1962, he co-founded the [[Loch Ness Monster#Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (1962–1972)|Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau]] with Conservative MP [[David James (British MP)|David James]], who had previously been Polar Adviser on the 1948 film ''[[Scott of the Antarctic (film)|Scott of the Antarctic]]'', based on his father's polar expedition.<ref>Henry H. Bauer, ''The Enigma of Loch Ness: Making Sense of a Mystery'', page 163 (University of Illinois Press, 1986). {{ISBN|0-252-01284-4}}</ref> In 1975 Scott proposed the [[scientific name]] ''Nessiteras rhombopteryx'' for the [[Loch Ness Monster]] (based on a blurred underwater photograph of a supposed fin) so that it could be registered as an endangered species.<ref>Sir Peter Scott, Robert Rines: "Naming the Loch Ness monster", ''Nature'' 258, 11 December 1975, 466–468, {{doi|10.1038/258466a0}}</ref> The name was based on the [[Ancient Greek]] for "monster of [[Loch Ness|Ness]] with diamond-shaped fin", but it was later pointed out by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' to be an [[anagram]] of "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S".  [[Robert H. Rines]], who took two supposed pictures of the monster in the 1970s, responded by pointing out that the letters could also be read as an anagram for, "Yes, both pix are monsters, R."<ref>Article, "Monster Hoax?", in ''[[New Scientist]]'', Christmas Double Issue, Volume 68, Number 980, page 739 (18–25 December 1975).</ref>

==Personal life==
Scott married the novelist [[Elizabeth Jane Howard]] in 1942 and had a daughter, Nicola, born a year later.<ref>Elizabeth Jane Howard. ''Slipstream'', Macmillan, 2002, page 134</ref> Howard left Scott in 1946 and they were divorced in 1951.<ref name="autogenerated219">Elizabeth Jane Howard. ''Slipstream'', Macmillan, 2002, page 219</ref>

In 1951, Scott married his assistant, [[Philippa Scott|Philippa Talbot-Ponsonby]],<ref name="autogenerated219"/> while on an expedition to [[Iceland]] in search of the breeding grounds of the [[pink-footed goose]]. A daughter, Dafila, was born later in the same year (''dafila'' is the old [[Taxonomy (biology)|scientific name]] for a [[northern pintail|pintail]]). She, too, became an artist, painting birds.<ref>[http://www.swla.co.uk/SWLAmembers/scottd/ScottD.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207220147/http://www.swla.co.uk/SWLAmembers/scottd/ScottD.htm|date=7 February 2012}}</ref> A son, Falcon, was born in 1954.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/jan/10/philippa-scott-obituary Philippa Scott obituary, The Guardian, Sunday 10 January 2010]</ref>

Scott shared a [[nanny]] (Enid) with Nigel Hadow and his son [[Pen Hadow]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives, Pen Hadow nominates Sir Peter Scott |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00269c8 |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Civilian honours==
Having been appointed a military MBE in the [[1942 Birthday Honours]],<ref name="LG 5 June 1942" /> he was promoted to [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in the Civil Division (CBE) in the [[1953 Coronation Honours]].<ref name="LG 26 May 1953">{{London Gazette |issue=39863 |date=26 May 1953 |pages=2953–2956  |supp=y }}</ref> Having been appointed a [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[1973 New Year Honours]] for services to conservation and the environment, he was knighted by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] during a ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 27 February 1973.<ref name="LG 6 March 1973">{{London Gazette |issue=45923 |date=6 March 1973 |page=2989 }}</ref> In the [[1987 Birthday Honours]], he was appointed to the [[Order of the Companions of Honour]] as a Member (CH) "for services to conservation".<ref name="LG 12 June 1987">{{London Gazette |issue=50948 |date=12 June 1987 |page=16 |supp=y }}</ref> In 1987 he was also elected Fellow of the [[Royal Society]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Moore |first1=Chris |last2=Rees |first2=Eileen C. |date=2022 |title=Sir Peter Markham Scott CH. 14 September 1909 — 29 August 1989 |journal=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society |volume=73|pages=421–443 |doi=10.1098/rsbm.2022.0019 |s2cid=251071319 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Legacy==
The fish [[Scotts' wrasse]] ''Cirrhilabrus scottorum'' was named after Peter and Philippa Scott for their “great contribution in nature conservation".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.etyfish.org/labriformes1/|title=Order LABRIFORMES: Family LABRIDAE (A-h)|date=16 June 2020}}</ref>

The ''Peter Scott Walk''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.visitwestnorfolk.com/things-to-do/activities/walking/sir-peter-scott-walk/ |title=Sir Peter Scott Walk on the Visit West Norfolk website |access-date=13 January 2018 |archive-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707172424/https://www.visitwestnorfolk.com/things-to-do/activities/walking/sir-peter-scott-walk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Peter+Scott+Walk Sir Peter Scott Walk] on the [[Long Distance Walkers Association|...LDWA]] website</ref> passes the mouth of the [[River Nene]] and follows the old sea bank along [[The Wash]], from Scott's lighthouse near [[Sutton Bridge]] in Lincolnshire to the ferry crossing at [[King's Lynn]].

The ''Sir Peter Scott National Park'' is located in central [[Jamnagar]], in Gujarat, India.  Jamnagar also has a ''Sir Peter Scott Bird Hospital''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sir Peter Scott Bird Hospital |url=https://sirpetterscottbirdhospital.business.site/ |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> These institutions in Jamnagar were founded as a result of the friendship between Peter Scott and [[Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji|Jam Sahib]], the Indian ruler of Jamnagar.

==Bibliography==
* ''Morning flight.'' Country Life, London 1936–44.
* ''Wild chorus.'' Country Life, London 1939.
* ''Through the Air.'' (with Michael Bratby). Country Life, London 1941.
* ''The battle of the narrow seas.'' Country Life, White Lion & Scribners, London, New York 1945–74. <small>{{ISBN|0-85617-788-1}}</small>
* ''Portrait drawings.'' Country Life, London 1949.
* ''Key to the wildfowl of the world.'' Slimbridge 1950.
* ''Wild geese and Eskimos.'' Country Life & Scribner, London, New York 1951.
* ''A thousand geese.'' Collins, Houghton & Mifflin, London, Boston 1953/54.
* ''A coloured key to the wildfowl of the world.'' Royle & Scribner, London, New York 1957–88.
* ''Wildfowl of the British Isles.'' Country Life, London 1957.
* ''The eye of the wind.'' (autobiography) Hodder, Stoughton & Brockhampton, London, Leicester 1961–77. <small>{{ISBN|0-340-04052-1}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-340-21515-1}}</small>
* ''Animals in Africa.'' Potter & Cassell, New York, London 1962–65.
* ''My favourite stories of wild life.'' Lutterworth 1965.
* ''Our vanishing wildlife.'' Doubleday, Garden City 1966.
* ''Happy the man.'' Sphere, London 1967.
* ''Atlas en couleur des anatidés du monde.'' Le Bélier-Prisma, Paris 1970.
* ''The wild swans at Slimbridge.'' Slimbridge 1970.
* ''The swans.'' Joseph, Houghton & Mifflin, London, Boston 1972. <small>{{ISBN|0-7181-0707-1}}</small>
* ''The amazing world of animals.'' Nelson, Sunbury-on-Thames 1976. <small>{{ISBN|0-17-149046-0}}</small>
* ''Observations of wildlife.'' Phaidon & Cornell, Oxford, Ithaca 1980. <small>{{ISBN|0-7148-2041-5}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-7148-2437-2}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-8014-1341-9}}</small>
* ''Travel diaries of a naturalist.'' Collins, London. 3 vols: 1983, 1985, 1987. <small>{{ISBN|0-00-217707-2}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-00-219232-2}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-00-219554-2}}</small>
* ''The crisis of the University.'' [[Croom Helm]], London 1984. <small>{{ISBN|0-7099-3303-7}}</small>, <small>{{ISBN|0-7099-3310-X}}</small>
* ''Conservation of island birds.'' Cambridge 1985. <small>{{ISBN|0-946888-04-3}}</small>
* ''The art of Peter Scott.'' [[Sinclair-Stevenson]], London 1992 p. m. <small>{{ISBN|1-85619-100-1}}</small>

===Forewords===
* ''The Red Book – Wildlife in Danger'' [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]], Noel Simon & [[Jack Vincent]], Collins, 1969
** The acknowledgments in this book credit Scott with originating the idea behind it
* ''George Edward Lodge – Unpublished Bird Paintings'' C.A. Fleming ([[Pearson PLC|Michael Joseph]]) 1983 {{ISBN|0-7181-2212-7}}

===Illustrations===
* {{Cite book| publisher = Newnes| pages = 240 p. : illus; 23 cm| last = Christian| first = Garth| title = Down the Long Wind – a study of bird migration.| location = London| year = 1961}}
* ''Waterfowl of the World'' – with Jean Delacour, Country Life 1954
* Gallico, Paul (1946), ''[[The Snow Goose (novella)|The Snow Goose]]'', Michael Joseph, London. Four full-page colour paintings, plus numerous black-and-white line drawings.

===Films===
* ''[[Wild Wings]]'' (1966), narrator

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Autobiography ==
* {{cite book|title=The Eye of the Wind. An Autobiography|author=Scott, Peter|year=1966|edition=2|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton}}

==Further reading==
* ''The Wild Geese of the Newgrounds'' by Paul Walkden. Published by the Friends of WWT Slimbridge, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-9561070-0-8}}. Illustrated with colour plates and ink drawing by Peter Scott. Includes chronology.
* ''Peter Scott. Collected Writings 1933–1989''. Compiled by Paul Walkden. Published by The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust 2016. Hardback {{ISBN|978-0-900806-69-8}}, E-book {{ISBN|978-0-900806-70-4}}. Includes Chronology and Bibliography. Illustrated with photos and b/w illustrations.

==External links==
{{commons category|Peter Markham Scott}}
* [http://www.stellabooks.com/articles/peter_scott.php Article illustrated with his paintings]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040205094823/http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/features/mao-aug-00.htm Biography]
* {{Art UK bio}}
* {{IMDb name|1558246}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[John Bannerman, Baron Bannerman of Kildonan|John Bannerman]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Rector of the University of Aberdeen]]|years=1960–1963}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Hunt, Baron Hunt|Sir John Hunt]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Anthony Eden|The Earl of Avon]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor of the University of Birmingham]]|years=1973–1983}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alex Jarratt]]}}
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