The French don't really have a word for 'hard-core' - they simply refer to Monsieur Genevois by name.
Fabrice has been studying seabirds for his entire life, and few other biologists have the breadth of in-the-field experience that he has accumulated over his life. As an academic he studied petrels on Kerguelen Island, as a photographer he has amassed one of the most enviable collections of seabirds anywhere, as an adventurer he has circumnavigated the world many times over and logged more trips to the Arctic and Antarctic than he can even remember, as a Frenchman he makes the finest cabin mate on the seven seas with a seemingly unending supply of cured sausages and artisanal cheeses.
Having spent (literally) the majority of the last several decades at sea in his quest to study seabirds in their own element, Fabrice is uniquely qualified to write about their world and their ways. His latest book (his third), Oiseaux marins - entre ciel et mers, co-authored with the equally distinguished Christophe Barbraud, has just been released by the venerable French scientific publishing house Éditions Quæ. Combining the most recent academic research with a poetic style that is hard to match, this volume jammed with thousands of stunning images is a must-read. Fabrice and Christophe have delivered the goods - a beautiful, relevant, entertaining and informative book that manages to appeal to both the serious scientist as well as the casual armchair birder. Magnifique!