Clive Dudley Thomas Minton, AM (7 October 1934 – 6 November 2019[1]) was a British and Australian metallurgist, administrator, management consultant and amateur ornithologist. His interest in birds began in childhood.
From the early 1980s, Minton led regular, almost annual, wader study expeditions to north-west Australia to catch and study the waders that migrate to and through the coastal strip between Roebuck Bay near Broome, Eighty Mile Beach and Port Hedland in the southern section of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway. These expeditions, along with data collected in south-eastern Australia by the VWSG, have led to major governmental conservation initiatives through the Flyway, including the Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA), the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) and the East Asian – Australasian Shorebird Site Network. He was also involved in several international wader study expeditions in North America, South America and Russia.
2000 – awarded John Hobbs Medal for outstanding contributions to ornithology as an amateur
2001 – elected a Member of the Order of Australia for "services to ornithology, particularly in the study of migratory wading birds in Australia"[1][3]
In 2003, British ornithologist Andrew Whittaker commemorated Minton in the species epithet of the cryptic forest falcon (Micrastur mintoni).
To honour Minton's role in the establishment of the Broome Bird Observatory, the Clive Minton Discovery Centre opened its doors on the 20 August 2021 after four years of development. The centre displays information about migratory shorebirds, with immersive soundscapes, video footage, and up-to-date scientific information.
Jessop, Rosalind; Graham, Doris; Collins, Peter; & Davidson, Rosemary. (2000). John Hobbs Medal 2000: Citation. Clive Dudley Thomas Minton. Emu 100: 247.
Robin, Libby. (2001). The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press. ISBN0-522-84987-3