Highland Birds
  • Sightings
    • 2020 >
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019 >
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018 >
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017 >
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016 >
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
  • Recording
    • The Highland List
    • The Highland Recording Area
    • Submitting records >
      • Rarities
      • HRC description species
      • Highland SOC Species Focus 2021
      • Gazetteer
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Evening talks
    • Field trips
  • Where to go
    • Inverness-shire >
      • Fort George and Whiteness
      • In and around Inverness
    • Badenoch and Strathspey >
      • Speyside in general
      • Badenoch and Strathspey
      • Northern Cairngorms
    • Easter Ross >
      • Easter Ross in general
      • Chanonry Point
      • Tarbat Ness
    • Wester Ross >
      • Ullapool and Gruinard Bay
      • Gairloch, Loch Ewe and Loch Maree
      • Loch Kishorn
    • Lochaber >
      • Fort William
      • Canna
      • Eigg
      • Rum
    • Skye and Lochalsh >
      • Lochalsh
    • Sutherland >
      • Southeast Sutherland
      • Melvich
      • Kyle of Tongue
      • Assynt
      • Loch Eriboll
  • Gallery
    • 2010-present
    • 2000-2009
    • 1990-1999
    • 1980-1989
    • Dark ages - 1979
  • Publications
    • Highland Bird Report
    • Highland Bird News
    • Books
  • Contact
    • Join the SOC
  • Links
  • Website history
  • Blog

​​

​

SOC and Isle of May Bird Observatory (IoMBO), Young Birders’ Training Course 2018, 30 June - 7 July, Isle of May

3/22/2018

0 Comments

 
The SOC and Britain’s oldest continuously accredited bird observatory, IoMBO, are working in partnership for the fifth year running to offer six more young birdwatchers the chance to participate in a week-long sponsored training course. The course is being run by the SOC and the IoMBO and will take place on the Isle of May from 30 June – 7 July 2018.

Open to 16–25 years olds, the course is the only one of its kind in the UK and will provide an opportunity for successful applicants to gain invaluable first-hand practical experience of recording birds and other wildlife, experience of species counts, monitoring, ringing, trapping, ageing and sexing birds, as well as the chance to participate in activities such as visible migration watches and co-ordinated sea-watching counts.

The course will not only provide a platform for participants to pursue a future in wildlife monitoring and conservation, but a network of contacts to assist the students on their journey.  
More information about the opportunity and links to the application form can be found here: https://www.the-soc.org.uk/get-involved/young-birders/young-birders-training-course or obtained by emailing jane.cleaver@the-soc.org.uk. *The closing date for completed applications is 5pm, Monday 30 April 2018*. Completed forms should be emailed to jane.cleaver@the-soc.org.uk  or posted to: Jane Cleaver (Confidential), SOC, Waterston House, Aberlady, EH32 0PY.  
Contributing organisations: The course will be carried out under the expert tuition of representatives from the SOC and IOMBO, with additional support and resources provided by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) staff on the island. Please see website for full details.
The course is being funded by the SOC, made possible by generous individuals who have left legacies to the Club.
Minimum criteria to be awarded a place on the course: Candidates must be aged between 16 and 25 years of age on the day of trip departure (written permission will be required from a parent or guardian if under 18 years of age), must be residents of the UK/Ireland and must be available for the full duration of the course (Saturday 30 June – Saturday 7 July 2018). Successful applicants must be able to make their own way to and from Anstruther, Fife, and make a personal contribution of £25 (towards food & drink supplies). Applicants seeking support to fund their travel costs to Anstruther should research funding support. For example: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/taking-part/young-bird-obs-volunteer-fund
0 Comments

Spring migrant arrival dates - the last ten years...

3/15/2018

1 Comment

 
Below is a table showing the spring migrant arrival dates for the last ten years for the Highland recording area, all dates are taken from the Highland Bird Report. The yellow highlights show the earliest record for that species. n/a means no records for that year, any wintering records are down as "wintering".

The first Osprey has already arrived, but we are still waiting for the first Wheatear and Sand Martin...
Picture
1 Comment

Burghead and Lossiemouth 10 March 2018.

3/11/2018

0 Comments

 

Nine SOC members assembled at Burghead Harbour, despite a forecast of persistent rain, and at first it was dry and calm allowing careful scrutiny of the assembled ducks in Burghead Bay. Black specks resolved into numerous Common Scoters but Velvets were more difficult to pin down until they flew, showing their gleaming white secondaries. Long-tailed Ducks were abundant with a few Eiders and a Red-breasted Merganser but a solitary Slavonian Grebe was at the very limits of our visual acuity. We then moved round to the east bay where conditions were challenging – a cold east wind and rain – but were rewarded with a couple of Red-throated Divers, a few Gannets and distant Kittiwakes, Razorbills and two Purple Sandpipers doing their best to hide with the turnstones behind the seaweedy rocks. On sensing that the troops were getting restless - or, more accurately, becoming speechless through cold – I suggested a visit to a nearby coffee shop, a proposal quickly adopted. In the warmth, with tongues quickly refound, I learnt how to tell a nighthawk from a cow pat but have forgotten already which bird resembles black knickers with an embroidered red rose. Sometimes it is the social aspects of birdwatching that tie SOC membership together!.

Rejuvenated, we proceeded to the Lossie Estuary where a superb adult Iceland gull was seen rather distantly but flew in to land and bathe right in front of us. Al McNee then surprised us by finding a Lesser Black-backed Gull but soon we decided that waiting for the mass arrival of gulls coming to roost was a mug’s game in the persistent rain so we headed off to Spynie Loch where we all just managed to squeeze into the hide. Close views were enjoyed of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Tits and a Red Squirrel on the feeders but the legendary Water Rail was just that. A drake Scaup amongst the Tufted Ducks was a bonus but the previous day’s Pochard also remained legendary. Although we’d scrutinised every visible duck several times, it was a pleasant surprise when Al came up trumps again with a female Shoveler. Singing Dabchicks gave a promise that spring is maybe not too far away but the time came when we decided to call it a day. A final stop at Forres on the homeward journey for an “easy” Kingfisher didn’t pay off, leaving a day total of a respectable 60 species which wasn’t bad considering the weather.

Pete Gordon
The group at Loch Spynie (Al McNee)
Iceland Gull at Lossie estuary (Al McNee)
At Burghead (Al McNee)
0 Comments

    Highland Birds

    We are the Highland branch of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club!

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    December 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture



​Looking after Highland's birds


  • Sightings
    • 2020 >
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019 >
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018 >
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017 >
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016 >
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
  • Recording
    • The Highland List
    • The Highland Recording Area
    • Submitting records >
      • Rarities
      • HRC description species
      • Highland SOC Species Focus 2021
      • Gazetteer
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Evening talks
    • Field trips
  • Where to go
    • Inverness-shire >
      • Fort George and Whiteness
      • In and around Inverness
    • Badenoch and Strathspey >
      • Speyside in general
      • Badenoch and Strathspey
      • Northern Cairngorms
    • Easter Ross >
      • Easter Ross in general
      • Chanonry Point
      • Tarbat Ness
    • Wester Ross >
      • Ullapool and Gruinard Bay
      • Gairloch, Loch Ewe and Loch Maree
      • Loch Kishorn
    • Lochaber >
      • Fort William
      • Canna
      • Eigg
      • Rum
    • Skye and Lochalsh >
      • Lochalsh
    • Sutherland >
      • Southeast Sutherland
      • Melvich
      • Kyle of Tongue
      • Assynt
      • Loch Eriboll
  • Gallery
    • 2010-present
    • 2000-2009
    • 1990-1999
    • 1980-1989
    • Dark ages - 1979
  • Publications
    • Highland Bird Report
    • Highland Bird News
    • Books
  • Contact
    • Join the SOC
  • Links
  • Website history
  • Blog