Waterston House

Introduction

Waterston House - also known as The Scottish Birdwatching Resource Centre - is the headquarters of the SOC. Situated to the west of Aberlady village, just off the scenic coast road from Edinburgh, the centre offers panoramic views of Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve and houses the George Waterston Library. The library is open to the general public, and houses the largest collection of ornithological reference books and journals in Scotland. A small retail area offers optical equipment, Club merchandise, bird seed, hand-carved wooden birds, wildlife art books, new and second-hand natural history books and bird guides, including the SOC's award-winning 2007 publication The Birds of Scotland. Hot and cold drinks are available in the foyer.

See the contact us page for directions to Waterston House and opening hours.

Art Exhibitions/Shows

The Donald Watson Gallery, named after the well-known Scottish ornithologist and wildlife artist (1918-2005), is a custom-built room within Waterston House. It has large floor-to-ceiling windows giving good natural light as well as panoramic views over Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve. Opened in October 2005 by the late Magnus Magnusson, it is a favoured exhibition space by many of the UK's leading wildlife artists and photographers. Art shows are held throughout the year and entry is free. If you are interested in attending the preview of a particular exhibition, please contact us.

The events calendar has details of current and planned exhibitions at Waterston House.

Binoculars & Telescopes

In addition to the optical equipment available for sale all year round at Waterston House, we also host demonstration days twice a year: staff from Viking Optical Ltd are on hand to give free expert advice on a wide range of binoculars, telescopes and tripods, and these are great opportunities to compare models and try them out in field conditions.

Demonstration days are advertised on the events calendar.

Sale of Natural History books

All year round we stock a wide selection of second hand books and journals which have been donated to the SOC. Many are selected for the George Waterston Library and any duplicates are sold to raise funds. As a consequence, stock is changing constantly and it is always worth a visit to check for the latest bargains...perhaps a field guide for that exotic birding trip or the missing number from your New Naturalist collection?

Annual Book Fair

Visitors to the SOC's annual book fair find a treasure trove of second-hand natural history books and journals as well as titles covering more general interest areas such as travel and topography. In addition to SOC stock, a number of guest specialist book dealers are present.

Book fair dates will be shown on the events calendar page.

Goose Watch

Late afternoon in early October we hold our annual Goose Watch, where members of the public can learn about the migration of Pink-footed Geese from Iceland and Greenland to their wintering grounds here in Scotland. After the short illustrated presentation, there is the opportunity to watch the breathtaking spectacle of thousands of geese (usually 15,000+) flying in to their night roost on the nearby nature reserve.

When confirmed, dates and times will be available on the events calendar page (or call Waterston House for details). There is a small charge for this event and places are limited.

Guided Walks

During the year we run a number of bird watching courses for beginners. These take the form of a series of guided walks led by experienced birdwatchers to sites in the Lothians. Cost is £24 for a course of four walks of approx three hours – a great way to get started! The walks are very popular and there is usually a waiting list. For more information and to register your interest, please contact Waterston House.

Room Hire

The library and gallery at Waterston House are available for hire. Please call for information on availability, conditions and charges.

The building and its history

In March 2002 the SOC sold its old headquarters at 21 Regent Terrace in Edinburgh, and planning began in earnest for the construction of a new purpose-built HQ. By October 2002 a site had been identified, and one year later the design was complete and planning permission had been granted by East Lothian Council. Construction finally started in August 2004, and Waterston House was officially opened by the late Magnus Magnusson on 1st October 2005.

The 3500 square foot building is named after renowned ornithologist and conservationist George Waterston (1911-1980), a founder member of the SOC. It was decided that Waterston House should be constructed using traditional methods, and the building's eight-metre-high timber frame is held together almost entirely using oak pegs and 'fish plates'. The forty-ton douglas fir frame is covered in larch cladding, with clay tiles on the roof.

Solar power

An array of 29 photovoltaic panels - capable of generating up to 5,800 kWh of electricity per year - was installed on the roof of Waterston House in July 2011. The Club estimates that it will use most of that electricity; what it doesn't consume will be exported to the grid.

The installation will allow the SOC to make a long-term contribution to reducing the effects of climate change. We are concerned about climate change impacts, such as habitat loss, on Scotland's birds. Generating some of our own electricity reduces the Club's carbon footprint and contributes to Scotland's renewable electricity generation. We will spend less on electricity and get some income from the feed-in tariff, so we'll also generate funds to support our continuing work on monitoring Scotland's wild bird populations.

The PV array was installed by Tom Morley of Solar Technology Ltd from Edinburgh; this was made possible in part by an interest-free loan from the Energy Saving Trust Scotland.

Visitors to Waterston House can see a state-of-the-art digital display that explains how the panels work and shows exactly how much electricity is being generated. We hope that members of the public will come along to get a good look at a working PV system, and see whether they might want to put one on their own roof.

A tour of Waterston House

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