Talks
We're delighted to share details of the meetings season (September 2025 - April 2026) for members to enjoy. This year’s programme will be 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 September
Paul Jepson – Rewilding Scotland: New horizons for ornithology and birding
Wednesday 17 September (online)
Alasdair Reid, John Simpson & speaker TBA – SOC Branch Survey Work
Tuesday 14 October
David Raffle – Introduction to wader identification
Thursday 16 October (online) NB change of date from originally advertised
Dr. Stephen Moss – Britain’s Favourite Birds
Tuesday 11 November
Dr. Alex Ball – Conservation of the Capercaillie and Northern Rockhopper Penguins using genetic techniques
Wednesday 19 November (online)
Douglas Russell – Interesting Bird Nests & Eggs – writing a popular book on 250 years of avian architecture
Tuesday 2 December (St John’s Church)
Talk & speaker TBA
Wednesday 10 December (online)
Laurie Campbell – Photographing birds: more than just the species
Tuesday 13 January
Dave Anderson – Golden Eagle work in Scotland
Wednesday 21 January (online)
Adam Nicolson – Birds in the Hebrides and a Sussex wood; Q & A
Tuesday 10 February
Prof. Tim Birkhead – The Great Auk: its Extraordinary Life, Hideous Death and Mysterious Afterlife
Wednesday 18 February (online)
Liz Myhill – Evocative encounters with the natural world; a talk & demonstration
Tuesday 10 March (Venue: SOC Headquarters)
Glyn Young – Saving the Madagascar Pochard
Wednesday 18 March (online)
Prof. Tim Birkhead – The Most Perfect Thing; Q & A
Tuesday 14 April
AGM & Kittie Jones – Scribbling Seabirds: Documenting life at the edge
Wednesday 15 April (online)
Prof. Claire Spottiswoode – Show me the honey: communication between people and wild birds in Africa
Contact:
David Parmee, mobile 07769 704821 (preferably by text or WhatsApp, not phone call or voicemail)
Venue for in-person meetings:
The Cornerstone Centre, St John's Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ (click here for a map of the venue and surrounding area). *10 March meeting only venue: SOC, Waterston House, Aberlady, EH32 0PY.
Outings
Details of outings will be sent by email a week to ten days in advance to those branch members who have signed up for communications (click here if you haven't already done so). Details will also be available at indoor meetings. Please let Philip know if you are attending with a contact number in case of changes. For walks with numbers limited you will be contacted if you are unsuccessful. If you have any questions, please contact Philip Hunsley.
If any are marked **, they are specifically designed for those with temporary or long-term mobility problems. They involve much less walking than normal and perhaps also the opportunity to sit and watch from a hide or a vantage point. In addition to the Pencaitland walk below, we intend to run some extra mobility-accessible walks on Wednesdays throughout the year - details will be added as they are planned. That is not to say that these walks are not open to all members – everybody is welcome, as usual!
Meet at 10.00am unless otherwise stated, but please check the email (see above) in case of any changes.
Sun 17 Aug
Fife Ness. At the start of the autumn migration we shall be seawatching and looking for migrants here and at Kilmining. (Leader: Shawn Waddoups)
Sat 20 Sep
Hound Point. With excellent views over the river we’ll looking for skuas, gulls and sea ducks. Shorebirds on the rocks may have plovers and passerines in the woods may be easier to see as the leaves begin to fall. (Leader: Ali Black)
Sun 5 Oct
Musselburgh. The variety of habitat at Musselburgh gives us a wide range of bird species to watch. The scrapes and new scrapes are often hosting migrant waders and the seawall looks over the mouth of the River Esk as well as the expanse of the Forth at this point. (Leader: Isabella Rossi)
Sat 15 Nov
Loch Leven. The RSPB reserve at Vane Farm is our starting point for the visit to spot geese and the many species that use the loch during the winter. The three hides give different views over the landscape and the many species to be found. (Leader: Anne Sinclair)
Sun 14 Dec
Aberlady and Gosford. Our traditional lunch at Craigielaw Golf Club is preceded by walks for you to choose; Gosford or Aberlady. (Leaders: Hilary Maxfield and Stephen Hunter)
Contact:
Philip Hunsley: Tel: 07719 950912 (by text, not phone call or voicemail), or email Philip.
Branch Committee
Secretary:
David Parmee, 07769 704821 (preferably by text or WhatsApp, not phone call or voicemail)
Chair and representative of the branch on SOC Council:
Vice-chair:
Position vacant
Treasurer:
Committee members:
Philip Hunsley, Alec Sibbald, Mike Thornton
Lothian recorder:
Other Information
Lothian is currently the largest SOC branch, with over 1000 members from across the region. We hold monthly talks between September and April and field trips throughout most of the year. We also have a discussion group, where we consider local conservation issues and organise survey work, see below for details.
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
Lothian Bird E-Bulletin is periodically emailed to branch members and includes details of branch talks, outings and activities locally as well as summaries of recent outings and other branch-related news. Read the latest issue here.
AGM minutes, Chairman's Report and Annual Accounts:
Please click on the links below:
Lothian branch AGM Agenda 2025
Lothian branch SOC Chairman's report 2024-25
Lothian branch AGM Minutes 2025
Lothian branch accounts 2024-25
Discussion group:
Lothian Discussion Group meets September to April, on the first Wednesday evening of the month to plan local survey fieldwork and review results, discuss atlas work and other activities. Meetings are held at 7.30pm in Waterston House. These are open to all SOC members. For more information on the group please email Mark Holling.
Social media:
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/birdinglothian.bsky.social
Twitter: www.twitter.com/birdinglothian
Birdwatching in the Lothians
Click here for our guide to Birding the Lothians.
Click here to download the SOC’s free guide: Birdwatching on the East Lothian coast
Bird recording in the Lothians
Visit the Lothian recording area page for details of the latest bird report, back issues, species considered locally and the latest Lothian Bird Records Committee decisions and for Local Recorder contact information.
Volunteering at Waterston House
Waterston House, SOC headquarters, is located in Lothian region, on the outskirts of Aberlady village. Please visit our volunteering page for more information.
Lothian Bird Bulletin Archive
Click here to download archive issues of Lothian Branch newsletter.
