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.
