ERROR RG P4 17.10.2000 A story in yesterday's Royal Gazette on David Wingate should have given the name of former Aquarium curator as Louis Mowbray Sr.

Imprisoned for being a American spy in Haiti, marooned on Nonsuch Island and the re-discovery of two bird species.

Dr. David Wingate's 50-year career was anything but dull and continues throughout his retirement -- only at half pay.

"I should probably say up front that the reports of my retirement are greatly exaggerated,'' Dr. Wingate joked.

"I can't visualise my retirement, in a sense, stopping what I love doing.'' Dr. Wingate spoke of writing several books about his experience with Nonsuch Island and other exploits in the restoration of Bermuda's environment.

"Well, I've been keeping a natural history diary for over 50 years now. It's been a continuous natural history diary for 50 years and I still faithfully write down the events of the day.

"It sort of focuses more on natural history observations but also a factual accounting of what I did during the day.

"But sooner or later you want to summarise what you've done.'' The former Government Conservation Officer had the diary dedicated to a software programme.

After the entries are complete, Dr. Wingate intends to write one or two books on cahows and Nonsuch Island.

But he also expressed interest in writing for the press during his retirement.

"In times past, there's been a naturalist column in the press.

The column would look at an event 100 years ago (using old records), 50 years ago (using Mr. Wingate's diary) and then today.

"I would look up something that happened that week from those diaries, and look up something that happened that week from my diaries and then write a commentary on the changes that happened.

"It would fun to do I think but I'm not committing to do it.'' And he spoke about his experience with the cahow.

"I first got to know Nonsuch Island and the cahows in 1951 and never dreamed that I might someday be living there but always been fascinated and how nice it would be to live there.

"By 1961 the work with the cahow progressed to the point that we realised it was going to need a larger island to secure the population in the future.'' Lewie Murrburray Jr., curator of the Aquarium at that time, lobbied government to get Nonsuch added to the list of nature reserves for the cahows.

When Dr. Wingate returned to Bermuda in 1961, and received his degree from Cornell University, he was looking for a home. He just got married on New Year's Eve.

"When Nonsuch Island was declared a nature reserve I immediately volunteered to live out there as the caretaker for the buildings and the warden for the nature reserve.'' So Dr. Wingate assisted masons and other workers with the restorations of one of the buildings.

But living on the island is not like living on the mainland, he said.

"It's not an island where you can live all year round because Nonsuch has no harbour and it always was an impractical place for year round residency. And there was no telephone or electricity when I started. Gradually I got those things. We didn't have hot water until 1988.'' The family would have to vacate the island for hurricanes and winter gales -- or pull their boat out of the water because it would be smashed under the cliff.

"It was a marginal existence,'' Dr. Wingate continued, "because you could be marooned for several days at a time.

"I lost the boat a couple times and had to swim ashore to get another boat.'' The home on Nonsuch Island is the only house in Bermuda to be solely powered by solar energy.

"It's working beautifully and its been extremely satisfactory.'' There is a back up diesel generator on the island.

"One of the advantages (of solar powered house) is that one of the roles that Nonsuch Island is playing today is of course educational for conservation and I'm hoping the solar facility can serve as a demonstration for the potential for the Bermudians to live more sustainable and more cheaply on natural energy.

"I'm hoping Works and Engineering are looking at it as a demonstration project of what we might do a lot more of in the future.'' When Dr. Wingate first started renovating Nonsuch Island for plant life, most people said the native foliage was finished.

"I refused to believe that. I believed if we could take advantage of the isolation of the island to restore things within their original context it would still be viable and we've proven that, hands down.'' And Dr. Wingate intends to be part of the Nonsuch Island eco-tours that will be starting soon.

"This would be extremely limited access.'' said Dr. Wingate who insists that too much access would ruin the island's delicate balance.

He said it would be an eco-resort, but only for tours.

"The reason is fundamentally obvious on two counts. One: There's no harbour -- it's isolated. One gale could wipe you out. Two: More fundamentally, the island is set aside as a nature reserve to get cahows back.

"That is so fragile that we simply must no have residency other than those who are trained wardens for the island.'' While reminiscing over his life and career, Dr. Wingate casually mentioned that he was a guest of Haiti's prison system in 1961 -- they thought he was a member of the US Central Intelligence Agency! "That was really exciting.'' he said.

The Dominican Republic dictator had just been overthrown and the tension on the border was enormous.

Dr. Wingate was in Haiti on an expedition to find the West Indies equivalent to the cahow, also thought to be extinct.

This difficult mission had been tried before by some of the leading natural and conservation scientists in the world at that time, but Dr. Wingate -- a very young scientist -- had recent specimens.

The bird, called the Black Capped Petrel, was known to live over 8,000 feet above sea level, nesting on the tops of mountains.

But over the years, some had been found in the cities and collectors kept them.

One specimen Dr. Wingate found in a brothel.

And the Haitian police forces picked him up and locked him away for three days before deporting him.

But Dr. Wingate was back in two years.

In 1963, the persistent scientist climbed Laselle Ridge, that reaches some 10,000 feet into the sky, and found the Black Capped Petrel.

Dr. Wingate's retirement could not possibly shadow his career but he hopes he does not fade away.