Phil Warren, Project Officer
Phil joined the GWCT in 1998 as a Research Assistant working on red and black grouse. Following completion of his PhD on red grouse at Durham University, he became the Project Officer for the North of England Black Grouse Recovery Project in 2002.
Over the last 20 years, he has worked on recovery projects to conserve black grouse, has recently led pioneering studies involving translocation of birds from the Durham Dales to expand the range in the Yorkshire Dales, and designed Heritage Lottery Fund funded projects to co-ordinate volunteer black grouse count schemes in Scotland. This culminated in him being the lead author on 17 papers published on black grouse. He has chaired both the English and Scottish Black Grouse Species Action Groups as well as being Project Officer for the Merlin Magic project.
Holly Appleby, Project Assistant
Holly grew up in the Durham Dales and joined the GWCT in 2023 as a Research Assistant working on camera traps and ground-nesting waders, and long-term red and black grouse population monitoring. Prior to joining the GWCT she completed a BSc and MRes at Durham University and worked as a countryside ranger in Cumbria and Northumberland and grouse beater on many local estates.