UP to the age of 37, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, knew next to nothing about birds and had no interest in them unless viewed down the barrel of a shotgun on a sporting estate.
But his perspective dramatically changed while on a voyage aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia when he became increasingly fascinated by the huge variety of pelagic species - from albatrosses to penguins - that came into view either on deck or ashore on bleak and remote islands.
His newfound enthusiasm became such that he began watching birds whenever the opportunity arose including from within a purpose-built hide on the Royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk.
He also became a leading light in conservation organisations such as the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature.
More is yet to emerge about the birding activities of the Prince, but Ornithologist Afloat is a preliminary study not just of how his interest in birds began and how it developed but also of the challenges he faced - recorded with wry and self-deprecatory humour - of photographing them with a pre-digital Swedish-made Hasselblad camera.
Ornithologist Afloat is available (price £2) as an e-book on Kindle.
bitly.ws/e3Ni
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