You can find out about our Ayshire 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:

 

 

Wednesday 20 March 2024
Dr. Phil Atkinson (BTO), Dr. Jude Lane (RSPB) & Jenny Park (NatureScot) – Avian flu (online). For further information, please click here.

Tuesday 9 April 2024
Chris Waddell – Ae Spark o' Nature’s Fire (in-person)

Robert Burns is often referred to as the Ploughman Poet. His poetry is suffused with imagery of the natural world: the landscapes, plants and animals which he encountered in his native Ayrshire of the late 1700s. Burns-enthusiast Chris Waddell examines some of the species the poet mentions in his works and the Scots language he uses to describe them.

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

Contact:

Anne Dick - 01292 541981

Venue for in-person meetings:

Monkton Community Church & Pioneer Cafe, Main Street, Monkton, KA9 2RN (click here to view a map of the venue and surrounding area).

Outings

The branch organises their field trips jointly with RSPB Central Ayrshire Local Group and outdoor leader Jim Thomson. There are two coach trips organised annually- one in winter and one in late spring. Members attending our monthly outings will have the benefit of an experienced observer who will be on hand to help with some of the trickier aspects of field identification.

Further outings will be announced in due course.

Contact:

For further information, phone Anne Dick 01292 541981 / 07780 927244 or send Anne an email. For coach trips please contact Tony Scott on 01292 281085 or send an email.

Branch Committee

Secretary:

Anne Dick, 01292 541981

Chair

Brian Lennox

Vice Chair

(Vacant)

Representative of the branch on SOC Council:

David Rackham

Treasurer:

John Drummond

Environmental Advisor:

Roger Hissett

Newsletter Editor (The Stonechat)/Trips organiser:

Tony Scott

Indoor meetings organiser:

(Vacant)

Outdoor meetings organiser:

Jim Thomson

Hon. President:

Norman Lawrie

Ayrshire recorder:

Fraser Simpson

Assistant Ayrshire recorder:

Angus Hogg

Other Information

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.

Branch newsletter:

The Stonechatclick here to download the latest issue (September 2018) of the branch newsletterThe publication comes out twice a year in February and September. Subscribers are emailed a PDF version of the newsletter. If you would like to receive The Stonechat directly to your inbox, please email Tony Scott.

Website:

SOC Ayrshire branch sponsors a local website, www.ayrshire-birding.org.uk, which is a one-stop shop for anything to do with birds and birding in the area – news, sightings, site guides, latest photos and branch activities.

Forum/News group:

Ayrshire Birding (formerly a Yahoo  group and now using Groups.io) https://groups.io/g/AyrshireBirding This shares news of both common and rare birds. This forum also welcomes discussion on the identification of birds in Ayrshire and other relevant birding issues plus other pertinent wildlife, conservation issues and events.

Bird recording in this area

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

‘Ayrshire Birders Abroad’

These popular holidays, organised independently by seasoned tour guide and SOC/RSPB Member Tony Scott, have taken SOC and RSPB members, as well as interested local birders, to a wide variety of places both in Europe and further afield. Please get in touch with Tony Scott as above, if you would like to receive notifications of these trips. Details of future trips are also published in The Stonechat and on the Ayrshire Birding website.