The son of a crofter on the island of Yell, Bobby Tulloch was known to his pals as ‘Tucker’.
From this small Shetland island, he went on to become internationally known as a renowned field ornithologist, tour guide, author and wildlife photographer.
After his sensational discovery of a pair of snowy owls nesting on the island of Fetland in 1967 (the first discovery of the species breeding in Britain in decades), the Shetland representative of the RSPB became a national celebrity overnight.
Tucker moved to the island and became the owls’ guardian, and a guide for the ornithologists that flocked to see them. He also toured the UK giving illustrated talks using his own photographs and made frequent appearances on TV and radio.
This book is a tribute to him, with friends celebrating and sharing their many happy memories of this man of many talents, as he was also an accomplished musician and songwriter, a skilled fisherman and daring navigator to boot.
Filled with photographs and hair-raising anecdotes for Tucker’s conservation work on the rugged Shetland islands, it’s a lovely celebration of his life and work.
The book is edited by Shetland councillor Jonathan Willis and Mike McDonnel, who was the Mid Yell and Fetlar doctor for 25 years, during which time Tucker was one of the boatmen who ferried him between the islands.
Published by Birlinn