Family background (PDF, 4 pages) – Chris’s family background, including links to the King’s Master Masons, and his father’s letters home to his mother in the First World War
Letter from Foula (PDF, 4 pages) – original letter sent to friends and family during Chris’s time on the island as teacher and lay-missionary, 1954-55
Bird Observations on Foula, 1954-55 (PDF, 28 pages) – a description of observing and ringing birds on Foula, with reflections on migration
A Scottish Century, 1954 (PDF, 4 pages) – a light-hearted account of meeting the challenge of identifying 100 bird-species in a single day
Fair Isle visit, 1956 (PDF, 10 pages) – an account of Chris’s first visit to Fair Isle, which coincided with the arrival of a bumper crop of migrants; some of his photographs taken on the visit are here
Isle of May 1956 (PDF, 3 pages) – an account of a trip to the Isle of May in the summer of 1956; some of his photographs taken on the visit are here
Brathay on Foula 1956 (PDF, 5 pages) – an account of the Brathay Expedition Group’s first visit to Foula in 1956, the subject of Chris’s second-ever film; also explains how Chris joined the RSPB’s film unit
Early years of wildlife film-making (PDF, 9 pages) – Chris’s account of how his film-making career developed, first with the RSPB film-unit, and later on a freelance basis. Refers to the making of his first film about St Kilda in 1957 and a visit to Foula in 1959, when he took further footage of the island and its inhabitants
Swallows in the Mill (PDF, 6 pages) – explaining how the film was made
Cruising with the Trust (PDF, 4 pages) – the story of Chris’s time with the National Trust for Scotland, including cruise visits to Foula, Fair Isle and St Kilda
The making of St Kilda, the Lonely Islands (PDF, 8 pages) – the story behind the film, revealing how some of the dramatic shots were created
Scottish Field article from 1967 about filming on St Kilda (3 PDFs, cover and two double-page spreads): cover; pages 1 and 2; pages 3 and 4
The photograph that took four years to take (PDF, 2 pages) – the story behind Chris’s sunset photograph of St Michael’s Kirk, Linlithgow
The making of The Isle of Rhum (PDF, 5 pages) – the story behind the film, and how it was made; also refers briefly to the making of Stranger on the Bass
The making of Fair Isle, the Happy Island (PDF, 5 pages) – the story behind the film; also tells the story of the “bottle project” undertaken by the island’s school (see also here)
Courtship Habits (PDF, 6 pages) – about how Chris photographed the displays of Great Crested Grebes
A Willow Grouse Saga (PDF, 5 pages) – the story behind the film, The Remarkable Willow Grouse
Return to Foula (PDF, 11 pages) – an account of Chris’s return visit to Foula in 1993, as also documented in a short film made on his visit
Two poems (PDF, 1 page) – two poems by Chris that capture some of his approach to the natural world
Ornithoversification – a selection of comic verses about birds: