Swifts

Phil Chantler has a special interest in swifts which has resulted in a number of papers on the subject. His comprehensive 1993 paper on Western Palearctic swifts in Dutch Birding has been nominated for the Peter Grant Memorial Award. He has travelled widely in the pursuit of birds, and in recent years more exclusively in search of swifts while researching this book. He has served on the Kent Ornithological Society Records Committee and as a consultant for the Seychelles Records Committee. Gerald Driessens is one of Belgium’s best-known bird artists. He started drawing fanatically from an early age and later attended art college in Lier. He has had his work published in many magazines and journals, including Dutch Birding, British Birds, Limicola and Birding World. He illustrated Phil Chantler's acclaimed article on Western Palearctic swifts in Dutch Birding, and this book is a continuation of this successful partnership. He is a former member of the Belgium Rarities Committee, and is currently on the editorial board of Oriolus. He is also an editorial adviser to Dutch Birding and manages their Belgium bird information service.