Fife

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

Wednesday 13 December 2023
Prof. Debbie Pain – Lead from ammunition: A toxic problem affecting birds and other animals (online). For further information, please click here.     

Wednesday 17 January 2024
Q & A with Prof. Tim Birkhead & Prof. Neil Metcalfe – The Great Auk (online). For further information, please click here. 

Wednesday 21 February 2024
Ros Green, Claudia Tapia & speaker TBA – Tracking birds' movements (online). For further information, please click here.

Thursday 7 March 2024
Scott Paterson – Learning bird sounds Workshop (in-person, with Tayside Branch). Booking required - places limited

With spring approaching, there’s no better time to get to grips with learning bird sounds. Scott Paterson’s informal and relaxed workshop will tackle the how and why of bird sounds, with practical hints and tips to help with their sometimes daunting identification in the field. He’ll focus on common species and look ahead to the arrival of summer migrants.

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

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

Contact:

SOC HQ, 01875 871330

Venue for in-person workshops:

Glasite Hall, St Andrews Parish Church, King Street, Dundee, DD1 2JB, next to the Wellgate Centre (click here for a map of the venue and surrounding area). Parking is available on site, and details of the barrier entry code will be sent to mailing list subscribers.  

The normal pattern of field trips is to alternate between Saturday and Sunday outings, and between half-day and full day trips, to cater for members’ differing preferences and other commitments. Beginner and experienced birdwatchers are welcome.

Further outings will be announced in due course.

Details of forthcoming trips will be sent to SOC Fife branch members by email, if you have signed up for this (or click here if you haven't already done so).

Contact: Caroline Gordon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Operating Committee members:

Caroline Gordon, David Heeley, Elizabeth Irwin, John Irwin (Treasurer) and Andrew Riches

Fife recorder:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Isle of May recorder:

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Talks and outings 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. A similar reminder service operates for outings. 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:

Fife Branch Newsletter comes out every three months and features details of branch activities, field trip reports, letters, photographs, sightings and other interesting articles. Subscribers are emailed a PDF version of the newsletter and the latest issue of the publication is also available to download here (August 2023 issue). Back issues of the newsletter can be downloaded here.  To either contribute or subscribe and receive Fife Branch Newsletter directly to your inbox, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Minutes from the 2023 Fife Branch AGM

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

Birdwatching in Fife

Click here for our guide to Birdwatching in Fife and here for our guide to Birdwatching the Fife coast.

Planning a trip to the Isle of May? Read our guide to Birding the Isle of May here

Bird recording in this area

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

The Breeding and Wintering Birds of Fife

Norman Elkins, Jim Reid and Allan W. Brown

Published by the Fife Ornithological Atlas Group and the SOC, in August 2016.

This large format, hardback book brings up to date an earlier publication published in 2003, the Fife Bird Atlas.  Click here to find out more and for details of how to purchase a copy.