“One of the most fortunate lives you can imagine.” Bryan Nelson, who died in 2015, was one of the world’s leading authorities on seabirds and the expert on the gannet family (Sulidae) which he spent ten years studying, first on Bass Rock and then in the Galapagos, Peru and Christmas Island. In this video extract from a rare interview, made a few months before he died, he focuses on his good fortune to be married to a wife who shared his passions – and work – for over 50 years and the extraordinary ending to their year, in 1964, in the Galapagos when the Duke of Edinburgh arrived on ‘their’ island, Hood (Española), to photograph the birds and learn from Bryan about their behaviour before inviting the couple to lunch on the Royal Yacht Britannia. The uncut video reflecting on his life with the birds can be viewed here. Galapagos Crusoes combines Bryan’s scholarship with June’s memories, drawn from letters and diaries, of an extraordinary year of delights and hardships, of the joy of living with the fearless wildlife – sometimes too fearless, as with the thieving mockingbirds – to the monotonous and frequently disgusting weevil-infested food. A limited-edition hardback of Galapagos Crusoes is available, only until November 17, through our crowdfunder page with a percentage of the price going to help save the Floreana mockingbird from extinction. Make a pledge, get your signed copy of this funny, fascinating and informative book and help a worthwhile cause! | 
