Phil, working with design director Nick Crow, created this illustration for Country Gardens' fall 2012 Slow Lane column. His impressionistic style tells the story about the migration pattern of the black feathered, white beaked Coot, and a real life altercation between 30 of them encountering a hungry bald-eagle, during a brief stop over on their way south. Phil brings drama to the illustration with the menacing shadow of the eagle, contrasted by the calm and collected demeanor of the Coot, who ultimately see their way to victory.