When US investigative journalist Thomas (Dennie) Williams stumbled on a story of a sailor who had a unique encounter with a bird off the shores of Bermuda, he decided to get to researching.The story of former Bermuda resident Christopher Profit is now featured in Mr Williams’ first novel ‘Nature Controls All: The Spirits of Birds, Bears, Butterflies and All Those Other Wild Creatures’.It is part of a collection of 16 tales about the interaction and communication between humans and wild creatures.Mr Williams thought of the idea for the book after a butterfly landed on his hand and stayed for 15 minutes. He said the encounter had a huge impact in his life, but only through reading the book could someone “fully understand the significance and reality” of that.In Mr Profit’s case he was sailing to the Island from Massachusetts to find a job when he ran into a 48-hour storm in the Atlantic Ocean.After taking a severe beating by the wind and rain, he continued on his journey towards Bermuda in sunny weather.At one point he put his hand on the tiller and a swallow landed and stayed for ten minutes. Mr Profit was inspired by the bird who had also survived an incredibly dangerous storm and felt as though it was his spiritual companion in a time of near death.Mr Williams learned of the man’s adventure while visiting the Island.The author said he was immediately inspired by the story as it “perfectly related” to the theme he was writing about. The biggest challenge was tracking down Mr Profit, who now lives in Canada. He eventually found him for several telephone interviews.In the book he also writes about a Chilean Flamingo who escaped from a bird sanctuary in Connecticut and flew to Canada.The bird became the focus of an intense rescue effort as winter closed in, Mr Williams explained. It was eventually saved by a well-known bird and animal rescuer who developed a special bond with the animal.Also featured is Michael Pixley of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who tells about his inspiring rescue of water birds after the severe oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.Mr Williams, a former investigative reporter for The Hartford Courant in Connecticut, hoped the book would encourage others to see the importance of wild creatures and the need to protect them.He said: “One of the critical issues facing the world today is the vital obligation to preserve and protect the environment.“As a result of the momentum of destruction of nature worldwide, it will take generations, if ever, to repair all the damage. Hopefully the erosion, already generations old, will not continue at its present pace.“But, whatever happens children, teenagers and adults need to educate themselves as much as possible to the very soul of nature.”He said the book was his “small and humble effort” to catch the attention of readers and help them understand the need to better appreciate wildlife.“Once people, at as early an age as possible, become educated to the needs of wild life, the less destructive they will be towards nature during their lifetimes, and perhaps they will even become devoted to help the causes of all living beings including those humans other than themselves,” he continued.“If the skill to appreciate nature and interact with wild creatures is honed at an early age, it becomes almost impossible not to take up or support environmental protection causes as one grows older.”Mr Williams has visited Bermuda more than a dozen times, and met his wife on Elbow Beach in 1969.He said the most rewarding part of the book was finding out that his own interactive experience with the butterfly “was indeed an incredible interaction with a wild creature”. He described it as “a spiritual experience with nature's critters” and said it was great to know others had experienced this as well.‘Nature Controls All: The Spirits of Birds, Bears, Butterflies and All Those Other Wild Creatures’ is available on www.amazon.com for $12.