Archive of the Month: August 2021

Dr Paul Whalley Nature Diaries

These images have been taken from the nature diaries of Dr Paul Whalley, former Bangor University student.

The collection of 13 diaries, received by the Archives and Special Collection in June this year, span many decades, from 1944 to 2020 and contain detailed information regarding the weather, lists of birds seen and general observations about nature.

Paul Whalley was only 14 years old when he started writing his nature diaries and continued without a break until he was in his late 70s. He studied zoology and entomology at Bangor University and formed the Bangor Bird Group with a fellow student. He worked in Uganda as an entomologist before returning to the UK and securing a post with the Natural History Museum.

The first image records the birds seen by him in July 1951. The following month, Paul Whalley records “My 21st birthday today! Scorching hot today. Purchased a pair of Binoculars … appears excellent and clear definition. Its rather interesting that Feb ’45 I first used a pair of field glasses – my notes for that day are quite amusing reading.”

This “Archive of the Month” was created by Elen Simpson

Click on the links below to view all our showcased documents.