Minerva Scientifica Birthday Celebration

Name: Minerva Scientifica Birthday Celebration
Start: 2021-02-02
End: 2021-02-02

2nd February 2021Leonora Rintoul
Ornithologist
BORN 2nd February 1878, Lahill, Largo, Fife, Scotland

“On the Isle of May” by Frances M Lynch
for unaccompanied female voices, birds and bombs (2017)

This short song gives a brief glimpse of the very rich lives of Leonora Rintoul (1878 -1953) and her fellow ornithologist Evelyn Baxter. The Isle of May, where they did much of their important work on birds, forms the central musical material from which it branches out to explore their many interests and exploits across Scotland. It was originally written as part of an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Scottish Superwomen of Science and first performed there on Aug 5th 2017. The image is from the original production – the illustration is by Amy Whiten

Leonora Rintoul was a persistent campaigner for the protection of birds, she wrote many books based on extensive research which she conducted across Scotland and very specifically on the Isle of May with her colleague Evelyn Baxter. Their detailed and brilliant work – producing “Birds of Scotland” in 2 volumes – was rarely interrupted, except by some major events. In her notebooks (held in Archive of Scottish Ornithologists’ Club) our researcher Catherine Booth found this….

3rd September 1939

Painted Lady and Red Admiral [butterflies] on EVB’s Buddleia. At war with Germany again & I so absorbed I forgot my notes … [no more entries for several weeks]

Black Guillemot with a Scottish Primrose — Tystie is the Scots word for Black Guillemot

Crex Crex By Johann Friedrich Naumann – biologie.uni-hamburg.deb-onlin — “In 1907 the Duchess of Bedford heard [the corncrake] calling in every clover and rye-grass field on Egilshay [Egilsay], Gairshay [Gairsay], Sweyneholm [Sweyne Holm] and Greenholm [Green Holm]…”. E.V.Baxter

Image reproduced from an album of photographs, many taken by either Leonora Rintoul or Evelyn Baxter, and held in the Archives of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club — Birds Nests taken in 1908

Crow Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay — Craw (Crow)

Gannet on the Bass Rock Image by adriankirby from Pixabay — “Curious objects are sometimes found in Gannets’ nests; we have found a Tam o’ Shanter [man’s bonnet] and a golf ball in a Gannet’s nest on the Bass.” LR [Bass Rock, Firth of Forth]

Nests 1908 Image reproduced from an album of photographs, many taken by either Leonora Rintoul or Evelyn Baxter, and held in the Archives of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club — Nests photograph 1908

Puffins Image by Полина Андреева from Pixabay — "At times Rabbits and Puffins share their burrows...." LR

Rabbit Image by Pexels from Pixabay — "....in 1911, at Pentland Skerries a Rabbit and a Puffin were found occupying the same cleft in the rock. They could be seen sitting, touching each other......" LR

Rintoul’s Notebook by Catherine Booth — "July 1938 At Brora during a short walk on the links we saw Starling - some: Twite - three on the links; Greenfinch - in the gardens; Skylark - common Meadow Pipit - common; Rock Pipit - common on the shore; Pied Wagtail - common; Willow Warbler - in the garden........" LR

Thrush Nest taken by either Rintoul or Baxter in Fife 1905

Many thanks to Scottish Ornithologists’ Club for permission to publish photographs from an album in which many were taken by either Rintoul or Baxter

You can find out more about Leonora Rintoul on our sister site Minerva Scientifica

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Created by electric voice theatre, Minerva Scientifica is a project that brings together professional performers with community musicians and school children. Together, we raise awareness of the rich heritage and deep connections between music and science, and inspire the next generation of future scientists.

Date

Minerva Scientifica Birthday Celebration

Minerva Scientifica – Connections 2020