# Wildlife



## ChasD (Mar 27, 2008)

It’s fashionable these days to be ‘In Touch’ with wildlife, and yet if there is one profession whose natural environment is that of ‘The Wild’, it is that of the professional seafarer.
A handful of guys (and guyesses !) a thousand miles from the nearest human environment, ones nearest companion life forms are those of the ocean and of the air.
My favourite location, (apart from the bar) was probably the foc’sle ‘pulpit’ watching the flying fish and dolphins scattered up by the bulbous bow and admiring the aerobatic abilities of waterbourne creatures. 
Standing on the bridgewing eyeball to eyeball with an albatross, closer to his wingtip than he was, enjoying the sun and wind in appreciative companionship is probably something few landlubbers can comprehend. Was he grinning as hard as I was? I like to think so !
Since retirement I have done the usual tourist bits, tramping the bush, gun in hand to come face to face with stuff far bigger than ones self; doing miles along East African beaches to seek out egg laying leatherbacks, these are things anyone can do, yet finding a 12ft seagoing croc at the bottom of the gangway whilst at anchor, as part of one's working routine, is probably not. 
Unfortunately, the best opportunities tend to appear when one’s photographic equipment is down in the cabin and the intended targets do seem rather camera shy.
Anybody got any good natural history stuff lurking in the files ?


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