news
Lothian Bird Report
The new Lothian Bird Report, covering the year 2007, is now available priced £8.50.
See the Lothian recording area page for more information.
(added 15 Apr 2009)
wildlife art exhibition
A new exhibition of wildlife art comes to Waterston House from Saturday 24 July. This time artwork by Paul Bartlett, D.I.M. Wallace, Lisa Hooper, Derek Robertson and Martin Ridleyon will be on show.
Running until Wednesday 8 September, the exhibition is open 7 days, from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, and 12 noon to 6pm at weekends.
Click the image to see the exhibition poster.
(added 10 Jul 2010)
Osprey viewing at Threave
A new Osprey viewing platform has been opened on the National Trust for Scotland's Threave Estate, Dumfries & Galloway. Giving a bird's eye view of wildlife around the River Dee, the platform was installed as part of a project funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, and is managed as part of Dumfries & Galloway Council's Sulwath Connections.
Situated right on the water, the new state-of-the-art viewing platform enables visitors to get up close to a pair of Ospreys nesting just 290m away. Regular visitors will be able to enjoy the ospreys as they fly back and forth feeding their young, and perhaps catch sight of the chicks on a practice flight in July and August. Grasshopper and Sedge Warblers, Kingfishers, Red Kites, and Otters have also be seen from the platform.
(added 21 Jun 2010)
wildlife art exhibition
Showing now at Waterston House: an exhibition of wildlife art featuring works by Robert Greenhalf, Andrew Haslen, and David Koster.
The exhibition runs until Wednesday 21 July, and the gallery is open 7 days, from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, and 12 noon to 6pm at weekends.
Click the image to see the exhibition poster.
(added 7 May 2010)
book fair at Waterston House
The SOC's annual book fair is an all-weekend event this year, taking place on Saturday 31st July and Sunday 1st August at Waterston House.
A wide range of new and second-hand books on ornithology and natural history will be on sale. In addition to the SOC's own stalls, specialist guest traders Garrick Books, Jay Books, Ken Mullins, and Shearwater Books will also be present.
The fair is open from 10am - 4pm on both days.
(updated 22 Jun 2010)
Scottish Nature Photography Awards
A photographic competition has been launched to showcase the depth of photographic talent that is drawn to and inspired by Scotland's landscape and natural heritage. The Scottish Nature Photography Awards Photographic Competition 2010 is open for entry for images taken in Scotland by professional, semi-professional or amateur photographers. The categories are Scottish Wildlife, Scottish Landscape, Natural Abstract and Environmental, with the four category winners competing for the overall title.
See the Scottish Nature Photography Awards website for full details.
(added 7 May 2010)
additional research grants available
Due to a combination of unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances this year, some projects - partly funded via grants awarded from the Endowment Fund - have been shelved, temporarily we hope.
The awards have been returned to the Endowment Fund, so the Research & Surveys Committee has decided to make the money available in the normal way (and subject to the normal conditions) to fund approved amateur projects.
So, if you have a study which might benefit from an injection of capital, please submit an application. This should arrive at Waterston House by Friday 14th May 2010, so that it can be considered by the R & S Committee with a view to recommendation to Council for approval.
(added 26 Apr 2010)
Black-tailed Godwit colour-ringing project
In addition to the Greenshank project featured last month, Raymond Duncan and the Grampian and Tay Ringing Groups have been studying the movements of colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits from Montrose Basin.
Click here to display a poster (PDF file) showing the first year's re-sightings of birds ringed in autumn 2007.
(added 14 Apr 2010)
collared Greylags in Orkney
The Greylag Goose population on Orkney has been increasing dramatically in recent years. A count in December 2009 revealed a staggering 80,538 birds. Members of the Orkney Ringing Group have been rounding up moulting Greylags in the summer for the last two years and fitting them with neck collars to learn more about their movements. Please keep your eyes open for collared Greylags as they move through the country over the next few weeks. Please report sightings to Bob Swann (National Co-ordinator) or Alan Leitch (if birds sighted locally on Orkney).
Click here to see a newsletter produced by Alan Leitch and find out more about recent movements of Orkney Greylags.
Photo by Justin Lansdell.
(added 25 Mar 2010)
new Arran Bird Report
The 2009 Arran Bird Report is now on sale. See the Arran Birding website for details.
(added 25 Mar 2010)
new Ayrshire Bird Report
The latest Ayrshire Bird Report, covering 2008, is now available for only £4 (plus p&p).
See the Ayrshire recording area page for more information.
(added 17 Mar 2010)
Nightjars of the World book
WILDGuides have announced a pre-publication offer on their forthcoming photographic guide Nightjars of the World. Place your order by 31 May to receive the 464-page hardback for only £39.95 inc p&p. WILDGuides will donate £2 to the SOC for each advance order received from Scotland. Click on the cover image to view a (2.3MB) PDF with full detals of the book and offer.
A not-for-profit organisation, WILDGuides will also be publishing The World's Rarest Birds, which replaces The Rare Birds Yearbook. As in previous years, proceeds will be donated to BirdLife International's Preventing Extinctions Programme. Details of the associated photography competition can be found on The World's Rarest... project website.
(added 17 Mar 2010)
Greenshank colour-ringing project
Since August 2007, Raymond Duncan and members of the Grampian and Tay Ringing Groups have been catching Greenshanks at Montrose Basin in Angus, and fitting them with coloured plastic leg rings. Prior to this, little was known about the movements of the Greenshanks that liven up our estuaries each autumn, but this pioneering work is starting to put together the first pieces of the jigsaw. The beauty of colour-ringing is that birds can be re-sighted on many occasions throughout their lives. Thanks to many birders and photographers reporting sightings of these colour-ringed birds, the results to date have been fascinating, showing that some of the Montrose Greenshanks have wintered as far afield as Spain, whilst others remain in Scotland. Some birds have returned to the same estuaries each winter for several years.
If you see a Greenshank this spring, please look carefully at its legs, and report any colour rings to Raymond.
Click here to see a poster produced by Raymond showing where some of the Greenshanks were in February 2010.
(added 14 Mar 2010)
new Dumfries & Galloway Bird Report
The latest Dumfries and Galloway Bird Report covers the years 2007 and 2008. It's now available priced £8, and only £6 for SOC members.
See the Dumfries & Galloway recording area page for more information.
(added 7 Jan 2010)