Which way is the snack bar?

We have just come off a major biological survey in far North West Queensland. Not everyday was hectic but most days were. We were waking up at about 6 am in the morning (yes.....for a lot of people that is a sleep in, but near the border of Queensland and NT it is still nearly pitch black at 7) and on many nights I was still surveying well past 9 pm at night.

That is because we are biologists and we are at the behest of our quarry. To survey birds we have to be up and at it when the birds are up. As they start calling, call loudest and call longer in the pre-dawn light we need to be ready to record before the sun pokes it's head over the horizon. And then there are the nocturnal fauna which, obviously, only come out at night.

As an amusing aside, one of the tasks I had the pleasure of undertaking was call play-back for Masked Owl....alone......in the middle of the bush.....in the dead of night. Creepy? Do yourself a favour and do this!!! Close your eyes or turn out the light or both. Now, imagine how dark it can be in the middle of the bush. Imagine being encapsulated in thin, gnarled and nasty tall shrubland. Think Blair Witch Project or some other scary movie about being lost in the bush or outback and click here.

My point is that we work hard and we get tired. We also get very very hungry. When we are camping remotely we often get a little greedy on the pre-survey shop. Unfortunately I have little self-control, so if there is junk food around I will eat it. A box of Shapes for breakfast? Why not? Six choc-coated sugary, nutty caramel museli bars whilst our spot lighting - sure!

But it gets worse. When we are on an operating mine the food is free and you can literally eat as much as you like. Nobody is checking you and no body cares. I am on Koolan Island with the Animal Plant Mineral team at the moment and the Chef will cook, on request, two beautiful and massive pieces of Red Emperor even though their are two bain maries full of delicious food. Don't even start me on the desert. Talking to a client on site yesterday, he mentioned that people have actually eaten themselves sick and had to be flown from the island. And it is the same at every camp.

Thankfully, on Koolan they have a fantastic gym and it is one of the only mine sites I have been to in 20 years of doing biological surveys that has a full-size kick bag. This is of immense benefit because without it, instead of looking like this:

......I am pretty sure I would look like this:

This little bloke has obviously found the Desert Bar and not yet located the gym as he weighs literally twice that of the average full grown male quoll.