We're delighted to announce that the 2025 SOC Annual Conference and AGM will be held as a one-day event on Saturday 22 November, at Kilmardinny House in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire.
The theme of the conference is 'Scotland for Birds: Opportunities for Positive Change', and further details on our programme and pricing/how to book will be available here shortly.
Please check back soon!
Our speakers
In the meantime, here are some of the speakers we've lined up so far:
Ground-nesting forest birds are struggling almost universally across their ranges. While multiple factors are driving decline, one symptom which often raises conservation conflict is predation. In order to alleviate predation whilst reducing conservation conflicts, we require new innovative impact-based interventions that lower predation rates. One such tool has been evaluated for the Capercaillie-Pine Marten conflict in Scotland, "Diversionary Feeding". This presentation reflects on our need to be adaptive and willing to deploy new tools that suit current contexts, applying the results of this multi-pronged landscape-scale evaluation of diversionary feeding as a case study, whilst reflecting on the complexity of implementing new methods for old problems. Jack Bamber is a conservation scientist, currently a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, and formerly a PhD candidate at Aberdeen. As an early-career researcher, he is motivated by research into predator–prey dynamics and evidence-based solutions for conflict intervention. He has worked with a wide range of species from capercaillie and pine martens to jaguars and red squirrels.
Dr Jack Bamber, University of Aberdeen
Tom's talk will focus on the recovery of Fife's Corn Buntings: a conservation success story involving collaboration between the RSPB, farmers, researchers, and citizen scientists. Tom is a lifelong birdwatcher and keen hillwalker from Edinburgh. He recently graduated from the University of St Andrews with a BSc in Ecology in Conservation, and will be starting a Master's at Durham University in October. During his time in St Andrews, he was President of the student birding society and was involved in the Fife Corn Bunting Project during the completion of his final-year dissertation.
Tom Beckett, Durham University
As sea eagles soar, beavers build, wildcats prowl and wild boar reclaim lost ground, At the Edge takes a deep dive into the tensions surrounding this wildlife comeback. Against a backdrop of stunning imagery, Peter Cairns unpacks the complex social and cultural forces that shape our relationship with wild nature.
Peter Cairns, independent commentator on rewilding and wildlife coexistence
As a photographer, writer, speaker and commentator, Peter Cairns has spent the last 30 years immersed in Scotland’s rewilding conversation. Peter has a special interest in human-wildlife relationships, a subject he has explored in numerous books, films and multimedia initiatives. In 2018, Peter founded the rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, serving as its Executive Director until recently.
Scotland is emerging as a haven for several colonising and rare breeding birds, with some species shifting northwards, consistent with climate-driven range expansion, and others showing more positive population trends here than elsewhere in Britain. By drawing together population trends and climate suitability projections, this talk will highlight Scotland’s opportunities for positive change in supporting rare breeding bird species, while emphasising the need to balance climate-driven opportunities with habitat management and conservation action.
Faezeh Fatemizadeh, Durham University
Faezeh is a first year PhD student at Durham University. Working in collaboration with Natural England, her PhD research project seeks to understand the potential impacts of changes in climate and land use on rare breeding birds in Britain.
The status of many species of birds in Scotland has changed during recorded history. Some were originally only rare visitors but subsequently increased in numbers with, in a few cases, breeding occurring. This talk will describe and consider some recent examples where species that just a few years ago were rare, but are now being seen more regularly and occasionally breeding. The possible reasons for these changes in Scottish status will be discussed.
Dr Chris McInerny, University of Glasgow
Chris McInerny is a Reader at the University of Glasgow, where he researches cell division and its relevance to cancer. He was President of the SOC, the Glasgow Natural History Society and Chairman of Biological Recording in Scotland; and Secretary to the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee and the Scottish Birds Records Committee. Furthermore, he was a Lead Editor and author of The Birds of Scotland, author of The Amphibians and Reptiles of Scotland, and has published over 150 papers describing various aspects Scottish ornithology and natural history, with a particular fascination for Honey-buzzards and Adders. Chris was recently made a Fellow of the SOC for his contribution to Scottish ornithology.
What does the gold standard of youth engagement look like and why does it matter? Youth engagement should be more than just giving young people a seat at the table. The bigger picture is about real influence, helping to shape decisions and driving change. Too often it feels tokenistic, but when done well, incorporating a youth voice can bring creativity, energy, and urgency to challenges like the climate crisis and social justice. For this to happen, organisations need to trust young people, share resources, and give us space to lead.
Katie Monk, University of St Andrews
Katie currently studies ecology and conservation at the University of St Andrews. She has volunteered on various youth panels across the years including RSPB, BTO and Cairngorms Connect helping to inspire younger generations to protect the environment. Recently, she completed a 107 day hike from Land's End to John o’ Groats raising funds for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, affirming her love for anything outdoors. She is particularly enthusiastic about breaking down the stigma and barriers surrounding nature-based actions, and increasing the access to the outdoors.
There is growing evidence of the impacts that climate change is having on the natural world. Some of Scotland's most iconic species, particularly seabirds and upland birds, are particularly threatened, whilst new species are arriving from further south. At the same time, there are significant changes to the wider context of conservation, whether increasing prioritisation of land-use for net zero or increasing interest in rewilding. In this talk, James will use a range of evidence to consider what this means for the future for bird conservation, and the future for birds in Scotland.
James Pearce-Higgins, BTO
James has worked for the BTO for 15 years, and as Director of Science for 11. He provides strategic oversight of BTO science, which encompasses both monitoring and research, and has worked extensive on climate change. Prior to that, James worked in Scotland for RSPB for 11 years, leading a wide range of upland research projects.
