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 13 February 2024
Rachel Steenson – Spring with the Midlothian Dippers (in-person)
The Dipper is a highly specialised river bird which, despite improvements to air and water quality in the early 1980s, has suffered a steady decline. PhD student and riverine bird researcher Rachel Steenson, who has monitored these magnificent birds in Midlothian, explores how their breeding success is affected by the world around them.
Wednesday 21 February 2024
Ros Green, Claudia Tapia & speaker TBA – Tracking birds' movements (online). For further information, please click here.
Tuesday 12 March 2024
Angus Hogg – Galapagos: In Darwin’s Footsteps; and Divers: A brief identification guide (in-person)
SOC veteran Angus Hogg describes an ‘unintended’ visit to this world-famous archipelago. An opportunity to set foot on these islands, with their peculiar, evolutionary bird-life, gave Charles Darwin a unique place in ornithological history. But there are still questions to be answered, and the ‘Darwin’ leading this expedition was a modern-day birder with his own ideas…
The talk is followed by a short introduction to divers dealing with some of their key features. Whether it’s plumages, ranges, habitats or, simply, “quirks,” this short talk will aim to improve your field skills with this group of birds.
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
Chris Waddell – Ae Spark o' Nature’s Fire (in-person)
Robert Burns is often referred to as the Ploughman Poet. His poetry is suffused with imagery of the natural world: the landscapes, plants and animals which he encountered in his native Ayrshire of the late 1700s. Burns-enthusiast Chris Waddell examines some of the species the poet mentions in his works and the Scots language he uses to describe them.
Wednesday 17 April 2024
Helen Aiton, Michal Jezierski & Kevin and Mike Sinclair – SOC Endowment Fund Projects (online). For further information, please click here.
Contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 01292 541981
Venue for in-person meetings:
Monkton Community Church & Pioneer Cafe, Main Street, Monkton, KA9 2RN (click here to view a map of the venue and surrounding area).
