Below are the talk summaries from the joint BTO Scotland Scottish Birdwatchers' Conference, held on 14 March 2026 at Invercarse Hotel, Dundee.
Title: An early 'heads up' about the forthcoming Bird Atlas The upcoming Bird Atlas 2027–31 will build on the extraordinary achievements of the 2007–11 Atlas, which provided the most comprehensive picture to date of bird distribution and abundance across Britain and Ireland. In the two decades since, rapid environmental change — including climate warming and emerging disease — has reshaped the fortunes of many species, making a new Atlas both timely and essential. Delivered in partnership, including with the SOC, the next Atlas aims to provide robust, large-scale data to inform conservation, while also engaging a broad and diverse community of participants. As before, volunteers will be central to its success. The survey will combine structured Timed Tetrad Visits (TTVs), which provide high-quality standardised data, with more flexible ‘Roving Records’, allowing birders of all experience levels to contribute. Alongside its scientific goals, the project presents a major opportunity to grow participation in bird recording, strengthen local networks, and connect more people with nature. New digital tools and improved access to data will help participants see the impact of their contributions in near real time. With fieldwork due to begin in late 2027, preparations are now underway, including method development, volunteer recruitment, training and fundraising. The Atlas will once again rely on the enthusiasm and commitment of thousands of observers to create a lasting legacy for birds and conservation.
Dr. Ben Darvill, Head of Development and Engagement (Country Operations), BTO Scotland
Title: Restoring the River South Esk Restoring the River South Esk has been an ambition for the River South Esk Catchment Partnership (RSECP) for 20 years. The presentation highlighted how stakeholders and communities are working together to achieve this goal through the delivery of more than 27 projects across the catchment, all of which are featured on the new RSECP website. Multi-stakeholder, landscape-scale projects have been delivered on burns, wetlands and moorland, often within the Cairngorms National Park. Additional urban projects on ponds, burns and neighbouring habitats such as meadows and woodlands have also helped to improve habitats and green spaces for communities in towns. The River South Esk’s unique estuary - Montrose Basin Local Nature Reserve - has seen restoration work carried out in reedbeds and saltmarsh, funded by Angus Council through the Edinburgh Process Nature Restoration Fund. Partnership working and building relationships with land managers has allowed projects to develop in recent years. The climate and nature crisis does not exist in isolation from the day-to-day economic and social challenges and opportunities faced in the catchment. In the long-term, partnership working and project delivery will support nature recovery and climate-resilient communities along the 50 miles of this catchment's varied and wonderful landscape.
Kelly Ann Dempsey, Partnership Manager, River South Esk Catchment Partnership
Title: RSPB Scotland in Angus - collaborating for nature RSPB Scotland has monitored breeding farmland waders in Glen Clova, Angus, since the mid-1990s. Results indicate a relatively stable breeding assemblage, despite more pronounced declines at a national level. The Rottal Estate, owned by Dee Ward, lies at the heart of the survey area. Since 2023, the River South Esk Catchment Partnership, involving RSPB Scotland, has delivered a landscape-scale restoration project on the Estate, funded by the Nature Restoration Fund. Guided by the wader data and the habitat network across the site, three new wetland systems totalling approximately 10 hectares were created between October 2025 and March 2026. The wetlands will contribute to natural flood management in the upper catchment and provide new foraging and breeding habitat for waders and other birds, as well as providing wider biodiversity benefits. RSPB Scotland area staff have also engaged with several farm managers in the Kirriemuir area, supporting with breeding wader surveys and facilitating an agri-environment collaboration, with a focus on wader-friendly land management. The Angus Glens remain a key part of Scotland for waders and other upland birds, and cross-sector partnership and project opportunities will continue to be explored.
David Hunt, Senior Conservation Officer, RSPB Scotland
Title: Who said reedbeds are a transient habitat? Steve discussed the reasons why the Tay Reedbeds have persisted for hundreds of years without driying out and reverting to scrub. He explained that this was due to a combination of management and the huge volume of water going down the Tay which removes most of reed debris during spring tides. Some of the historical problems were highlighted as was the current situation. The importance of the Tay reedbeds for both breeding and passage birds was examined, and details of the most important breeding species illustrated. These include bearded reedling, which colonised the area in the early 1990s; Reed warbler which began to breed in the late 1990s probably due to climate change and Marsh harrier which first attempted to breed 35 years ago and have bred successfully every year since. Water rail which are present in both summer and winter, are now known to be two different populations - one breeding and one wintering as suspected - thanks to the work of Derek Robertson, over the past few years, which has proved this theory.
Steve Moyes, Tay Ringing Group
Title: Montrose Basin through the seasons Joanna’s talk highlighted just some of the special things seen on the SWT Montrose Basin reserve since she first began working there in 2017. The visitor centre itself is like a luxury bird hide, allowing visitors to see so much wildlife just by using the panoramic views, telescopes, and expert advice from the centre’s volunteers and staff. A focus was put on the two species that are asked about most often at the visitor centre: Kingfishers, and Pink-footed geese. Visitors can get excellent views of Kingfishers outside of breeding season from the centre’s windows, and the centre have some amazing examples of behaviours that people rarely get to see, e.g. Kingfishers fighting to the death for feeding territories, or accidentally lodging stickleback spines into wooden perches. The Montrose Basin is internationally important for Pink-footed Geese, and is the biggest gathering site for this species in Scotland, with the peak count being over 71,000 in 2025. SWT hosted their first ever GooseFest in October 2025 for their 30th anniversary, to help more people than ever enjoy the spectacle of our tens of thousands of geese.
Joanna Peaker, Montrose Basin Visitor Centre Site Manager, Scottish Wildlife Trust
Title: Successful collaborations in the conservation and monitoring of raptors (Angus Glens) Dan Spinks presented an overview of collaborative partnership work supporting the conservation and protection of raptors in the Angus Glens. He began with an introduction to the Scottish Raptor Study Group (SRSG), highlighting the crucial role of volunteers in monitoring raptor populations, recording nest sites and breeding outcomes, contributing to national surveys, and working closely with ecologists, estates, NGOs and land managers to promote effective conservation. Dan outlined four key projects he has been involved in. The first focused on the 2024 Cairngorms National Park Authority peregrine falcon census, to which the Angus group contributed data from 2024, 2014 and 2002. Results revealed a significant decline of over 50% in breeding peregrines across both the Angus sector and the wider Cairngorm National Park since 2002. The second project centred on collaboration with the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, where moitoring efforts in Angus, alongside liaison with landowners, enabled the successful provision of two donor chicks for translocation. Dan's third example described collecting peregrine DNA from chick swabs to support the developing national genetic database, a key tool for investigating and prosecuting wildlife crime. Finally, he discussed work the group do to help minimise disturbance to nesting raptors - particularly golden eagles- through joint efforts with groups like Scottish Mountaineering Council, landowners and contractors. He concluded with updates on colour-ringing initiatives that improve understanding of raptor movements and population dynamics.
Dan Spinks, Tayside & Fife Raptor Study Group
The Lives of White-tailed Eagles - T1 & TZ Richard Tough’s talk on white-tailed sea eagles offered a fascinating insight into one of Scotland’s most iconic birds of prey and the success of their reintroduction to the east coast. Drawing on his direct involvement and experience, Richard explained how these huge birds—often described as “flying barn doors” due to their enormous wingspan—had once been extinct in the region before being carefully reintroduced between 2007 and 2012. He highlighted the significance of Fife as the first place in eastern Scotland where sea eagles bred successfully again after more than 200 years, marking a major conservation milestone. The talk also explored how the birds have gradually established territories around areas like Tentsmuir, Angus and the Tay estuary, meaning people in both Fife and nearby Dundee and beyond now have opportunities to see them in the wild. Richard brought the subject to life by describing their behaviour, diet, and slow population growth, emphasising how much effort and monitoring is required to protect each breeding pair. He also reflected on the wider impact, noting that the return of sea eagles has boosted local wildlife interest and tourism. Overall, the talk combined science, conservation, and storytelling, leaving the audience with a deeper appreciation of these remarkable birds and their return to Scotland’s skies.
Richard Tough, Tayside & Fife Raptor Study Group
Title: Baselines and birds - an upland opportunity in Glen Prosen Land use in Scotland is changing, with landscape restoration increasing, but what does this mean for birds? The talk discussed extensive baseline surveys conducted by Forestry and Land Scotland and partners, to understand the ecology, habitats and wildlife communities present on a 3,500 ha Full breeding bird and raptor vantage point surveys, species specific surveys for Dotterel, Ptarmigan and Black Grouse, and RSPB point counts have provided invaluable baseline data on bird populations for management planning and future monitoring and assessment of community change as landscape scale habitat creation and restoration evolve. The survey results have actively influenced long-term habitat creation, restoration and management planning both spatially and physically. This has resulted in a planned mosaic of habitats from open native woodland, scrub, wetland, to open moorland and blanket bogs to benefit a wide range of rare and declining species. The data also identified targeted conservation and management opportunities for a range of species including Redstart, Tree pipits, Ring Ouzel, Whinchat, waders and Black Grouse, as well as upland raptors like the Hen Harrier, Merlin and Golden Eagle. Helping to create a diverse and resilient landscape fit for the future.
Gareth Ventress, Environment Forester, Forestry and Land Scotland
former upland sporting estate in the Angus Glens prior to restoration. The focus then turned to the birds!
