Ken Simpson

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Kenneth Nigel Graham Simpson (1938 – 9 July 2014) was an Australian ornithologist and ornithological writer best known for writing, with artist Nicolas Day, the Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.

Simpson was born in Sydney and educated at University High School in Melbourne. He subsequently worked as a research technician in various institutions as well as lecturing in primary science at Deakin University and leading birdwatching tours. During the mid-1960s he studied royal penguins and wandering albatrosses on subantarctic Macquarie Island. He had a long association with the Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA), which he joined at the age of 11 in 1949, and was involved in editorial work with the BOCA journal Australian Bird Watcher.{{cite web |url=http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003142b.htm |title=Simpson, Ken |accessdate=2014-07-12 |first=Rosanne |last=Walker |publisher=Encyclopedia of Australian Science |date=2012-07-04 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.org.au/media/vale-ken-simpson-19382014 |title=Vale Ken Simpson, 1938–2014 |accessdate=2014-07-22 |first= |last= |publisher=BirdLife Australia |date=2012-07-14 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213046/http://www.birdlife.org.au/media/vale-ken-simpson-19382014 |url-status=dead }}

In addition to his ornithological studies, while on Macquarie Island Simpson collected botanical specimens (mostly Lichens). The specimens are held at the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.{{cite web |url=http://avh.chah.org.au|title=The Australasian Virtual Herbarium|author= |date=2020 |website=The Australasian Virtual Herbarium|publisher=Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) |access-date=23 November 2020}}