Phil Hollom, who has died aged 102, was one of the pioneering generation of amateur ornithologists who came of age before the second world war, and were hugely influential afterwards. Following the end of the conflict, Hollom, along with men such as Max Nicholson and Richard Fitter, helped to turn birdwatching from a minority interest into the popular, mass participation leisure activity of today.
Generations of birders cut their teeth on the "Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom" field guide, while the many thousands of people who take part in bird surveys also owe much to this quiet, modest man, who continued to be involved in ornithology well beyond retirement age. As well as pioneering field identification in Britain and Europe, Hollom later turned his attention to the ornithology of the Middle East, collaborating on a seminal field guide to the birds of that region.
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