Nicholson was one of the ornithologists in the party led by T.G. Longstaff of Christ Church College (naturalist). Nicholson's brother, Basil, was also on the expedition.

The main object of the expedition was the ecological study and census of the land bird population of Greenland. The census was carried out over an area of more than eight square miles and studies were made of birds' feeding habits. Nicholson's work and observations on the expedition produced a number of ornithological papers including the following: 'Bird Notes from the North Atlantic', British Birds, Vol.22, No.6, Nov 1928; and 'Field Notes on Greenland Birds (Parts 1 and 2)', The Ibis, April 1930. He also wrote some more general articles on Greenland.