Highland

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 5 December 2023
David Raffle – Wader identification Workshop (online, with Orkney and Caithness Branches). No booking required

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. 

Tuesday 9 January 2024
Mike Thornton – Raptor identification Workshop (online, with Orkney and Caithness Branches). No booking required

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

Tuesday 6 February 2024 
Les Hatton – Norfolk Pheasants, Velvet Runners, Bog Eagles and other fantastic beasts of the Tay Reedbed (online, with Caithness & Orkney branches)

Les Hatton, arguably the nicest man in birding, tells the story of 30 years of bird ringing in the Tay Reedbeds: the species that have been caught, how the reedbeds are managed for them, and how climate change and other man-made problems may change things in the future.

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

Tuesday 5 March 2024   
Stuart Benn – past, present and future (in-person)

Stuart Benn is one of the most experienced Golden Eagle workers in Scotland, having dedicated the last 30 years of his life to their conservation, working with the RSPB, and now spending his retirement doing the same. He describes their history and future in Scotland at a time when Golden Eagles are now more numerous than they have ever been in recorded history.

Wednesday 6 March 2024
Helen Aiton - The effect of avian flu (HPAI) on an Orkney Great Skua population (online, with Caithness Branch)

Orkney Great and Arctic Skuas have been studied for 10 years now by Helen and David Aiton. Helen talks about how Great Skuas have been decimated by bird flu while Arctic Skuas have not.

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

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

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.

Sun 10 Dec         Black Isle (Mary Galloway, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 21 Dec         Go where birds are (Sue Seright, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sat 6 Jan              Bird Race  (Carol Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 18 Jan           Go where the birds are (Alex Joss,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sun 11 Feb           Moray Coast (Pete Gordon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 22 Feb          Strathdearn Raptors (John Poyner, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sat 9 Mar              Scottish Crossbills (Peter Stronach, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 21 Mar           Dingwall area, Fiona Reid, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

13/14 Apr             Weekend Strathbeg area (Mary Galloway, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 25 Apr            Gairloch area (Alex Joss, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Sat 11 May            Dawn Chorus (Fiona Reid, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thu 23 May           Go where birds are and SOCIAL (Alister Clunas, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Contact:

Mary Galloway,  tel. 07598 320978 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Secretary:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 07598 320978

Chair:

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

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:

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

Outer Hebrides recorder:

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

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