Phil, a retired police officer, who spent 17 years as a Wildlife Crime Officer is the BTO Regional Representative for Bedfordshire, an advisor to the Barn Owl Conservation Network (BOCN) and local contact for the Barn Owl Trust. He first ringed barn owls whilst a trainee ringer in Dumfries and Galloway in 1993 and has worked with them ever since. He now divides his time in retirement between work as a specialist bird of prey ecologist and the voluntary conservation and monitoring of barn owls.