You can find out about our Highland branch below.

Talks

We're delighted to share details of the meetings season (September 2023 - April 2024) for members to enjoy. This year's programme will be a held as a hybrid (online/in-person) programme. 

More information about each meeting will be emailed to members around a week in advance of the event. To receive these emails (including Zoom joining instructions and workshop booking information, where applicable), you must be signed up to the Branch News & Events - Talks & Workshops mailing list.

When:

7.30pm

 

 

Tuesday 9 April 2024   
AGM followed by Ron Summers – Purple Sandpipers (in-person)

Purple Sandpipers, although charismatic, were not well known in Scotland. Ron Summers has been filling in the blanks in their biology since the 1960s, following them to Iceland and Norway, tracking them to Arctic Canada and ringing them in Scotland to discover their origins, why they have an uneven sex ratio, and why they might be declining.

Wednesday 17 April 2024
Helen Aiton, Michal Jezierski  & Kevin and Mike Sinclair – SOC Endowment Fund Projects (online). For further information, please click here.

 

Contact:

Mary Galloway, send Mary an email or phone 07598 320978.

Venue:

In-person meetings will be held at Culloden Library, Keppoch Road, Culloden, Inverness, IV2 7LL (click here for a map of the venue and surrounding area). Please note that there may be a small charge to cover room hire.

Outings

We plan to hold two outdoor trips per month – a full day outing on a Saturday or Sunday and a Thursday morning outing. On our outdoor trips, the aim is not just to see the largest number of birds, but to find and watch and enjoy. We think the pleasure comes from birdwatching with like-minded people, learning identification skills, enjoying the splendid sights and taking delighted in the unexpected find. If this whets your appetite and you feel you would enjoy these field trips, then you’d be most welcome to come along.

Booking is essential through the leader of the day and places are restricted.  Time and place to meet will be given at time of booking. Car sharing is only with agreement between driver and passengers. 

Details:

Weekend excursions are full day, Thursdays are usually mornings only. Thursday outings will be led by a committee member.

Thu 21 Mar           Dingwall area, Fiona Reid, email)

13/14 Apr             Weekend Strathbeg area (Mary Galloway, email)

Thu 25 Apr            Gairloch area (Alex Joss, email)

Sat 11 May            Dawn Chorus (Fiona Reid, email)

Thu 23 May           Go where birds are and SOCIAL (Alister Clunas, email)

 

Contact:

Mary Galloway,  tel. 07598 320978 or email

Branch Committee

Secretary:

Mary Galloway, 07598 320978

Chair:

Alister Clunas

Treasurer:

Carol Miller

Committee members:

Jon Clarke, Stu Crutchfield, Alex Joss, John Poyner and Fiona Reid

Committee member & Representative of the branch on SOC Council:

Peter Gordon

Highland recorder:

John Poyner

Outer Hebrides recorder:

Yvonne Benting

Other Information

Species Focus 2021

Highland branch are asking for your help with its Species Focus this year – a citizen science project for a ‘stay at home’ summer.  For further details, please click here.

Talks reminders:

Members who've consented to Local Branch news and events e-communications from SOC, are sent a reminder about forthcoming talks (with more information on the speaker and subject where possible), usually a week or so in advance of the meeting. If you don’t already receive these alerts and would like to, please make sure you've completed a Mailing List Consent Form to allow the Club to contact you. If you've already completed a form, check your junk/spam/clutter folders to make sure our emails aren't landing there. Still nothing? Contact Headquarters as we may not have a correct or up to date email address on file for you.

Minutes from the 2023 Highland Branch AGM

Click here to download a copy of the minutes from the 2023 Highland Branch AGM.

Branch grapevine:

An email sightings service, contact Al McNee to be added to the mailing list.

Branch website:

Highland Birds http://www.highlandbirds.scot/ is a website run by and for members of Highland branch, as well as visitors to the region. The site provides information on where to go birding in the region. There is a recording page showing how to submit your records, as well as a gallery of previous rarities and information on how to to download the latest Highland Bird Report and purchase back issues.

Birdwatching in the area

The Highland Branch website, Highland Birds, should be your first port of call for information on where to birdwatch across the Highland region. Likewise, if you're planning a trip to Skye and surrounding areas on the mainland, Skye Birds website is also a one stop shop for everything to do with birds and birding in the area!  

Bird recording in this area

Visit the Highland recording area page for details of the latest bird report, back issues, species considered locally and for Local Recorder contact information.

Highland Bird News- Archive

Click here to view archive issues of the branch's local newsletter, Highland Bird News. 

Highland Bird Report Gazetteer

SOC Highland branch has produced a gazetteer, listing almost 2600 site names referred to in the Highland Bird Report and their grid references. This can be downloaded from the Highland recording area page.