Supported projects

The Birds of Moray and Nairn

Award year: 2021

Grant: £5,000

Recipient: Martin Cook

Birders generate a lot of information. On an yearly basis, this gets summarised in an annual report, offering a snapshot of the bird populations in the area for that year. However, bird populations change, and it can be extremely useful to document this as well, by bringing all of the information gathered over the years into one place – a local avifauna. Local avifaunas complement whole country avifaunas such as ‘Birds of Scotland’. They offer a more in-depth look at local trends in distribution and abundance, in this case written by Martin Cook, an author who knows the area and its birds inside out.

Published in July 2023, 30 years after the publication of the original 'The Birds of Moray & Nairn', the author returns with an updated version of this well received work. Running to nearly 400 pages, this edition covers all species recorded in Moray & Nairn in much greater detail than before. A chapter on the bird habitats of Moray & Nairn is followed by detailed accounts of the 312 species recorded in the area. Information to the end of 2021 is included within the main texts and an appendix covers the most important records of 2022. Another chapter discusses changes in bird distribution and numbers, while the final section describes 21 of the best birdwatching sites in Moray & Nairn, giving access details (with maps) and key species likely to be found there. The book is profusely illustrated with images taken by local photographers in Moray & Nairn.

Monograph on the Purple Sandpiper

Award year: 2021

Grant: £4,000

Recipient: Dr Ron Summers

This book is a synthesis of both published and unpublished data on Purple Sandpipers including some 50 years of Scottish ringing group studies. All aspects of the bird’s life history are covered, and compared and contrasted with other waders to highlight those adaptations of Purple Sandpipers to their unique lifestyle. Amber-listed, Purple Sandpiper populations are decreasing and conservations issues are fully discussed. Written in a popular style and illustrated with graphs, maps and photographs, this book brings together all current knowledge on this species to be both informative and thought-provoking.

North Sea Bird Club (NSBC) 40-year Anniversary Report

Award year: 2020

Grant: £5,116

Recipient: North Sea Bird Club

The book will be a commemorative and lasting record of the achievements and activities of NSBC (“the Club”) and the records accumulated over the forty years of the Club’s existence. To be produced in hard copy and digital format, it will present the history and summary of collecting over 150,000 records of wildlife recorded offshore, mainly on oil and gas installations, drilling rigs and work boats servicing the North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Shetland, between 1979 and 2019. This primarily covers records of birds but also of bats, marine mammals, butterflies and moths, and other insects. Detail will be given of the Club’s activities over the four decades, how they have changed in response to changing working practices offshore and how technology gradually played an increasing role in record collection. Contributions from offshore workers will be included to provide an insight into the joys and frustrations of birding in all weathers on a metal structure in the North Sea! The report and its associated archived reference database will constitute a valuable regional resource detailing the avifauna of the North Sea, of which approximately 73% is in Scottish waters.

Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme Annual Report

Award year: 2020-22, 2017-19

Grant: £1,750 p/a

Recipient: Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme

Internationally recognised, the Scheme is a collaborative enterprise involving a number of national conservation organisations, including the SOC.The Annual Report contains accurate and up-to-date population data on Scottish raptors – data that is vital to addressing raptor conservation issues; informing the Scottish Government of the precise situation especially given the ongoing persecution of raptors in Scotland and the spread of misinformation regarding this.