Time: Tuesday 9 April 2024, at 7.30pm
Place: Culloden Library, Inverness
Present: 19 members of SOC Highland Branch
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Opening of the meeting
Alister Clunas, Chairperson of Highland Branch, welcomed all to the 2024 AGM.
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Apologies:
There were apologies from Pete Gordon, John Poyner, Fiona Reid, Caroline Pearson, John Carruthers, Carol James, Doug Mainland, Kathy & David Bonniface, Alistair & Hazel Campbell, Sue Seright and Hugh Fearn, Sue Sykes
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Minutes of 2023 AGM
Adopted: Proposer: Carol Miller Seconder: Mary Galloway
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Matters Arising:
There were no matters arising
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Chairperson’s Report: Alister Clunas
The SOC like all organisations depends on a small number of volunteers to help support and run the group.
I would like to thank all the members of the Branch committee, in particular Mary Galloway who is a very efficient Secretary for the group and Carol Miller who is our well organised Treasurer. I am grateful that these office bearers are continuing for a further year.
My thanks go to John Poyner, Highland Bird Recorder; Pete Gordon who is Chair of the Records Committee and represents Highland on the SOC Council, and Alex Joss who produces the Highland Bird Report. Thanks also to all those members who lead outings.
I would also like to pay tribute to those who update the sightings page daily on highlandbirds.scot currently Steve Broyd, Iris Cheshire and Mike Crutch, plus occasional appearances by Pete Gordon. Thanks go to Sam and Debbie Borthwick who were part of the team in 2023.
Just a quick plug for Species Focus - encouraging all of us to note less well recorded species either on Bird Track or by sending records direct to the Recorder.
2023 species were Crested Tit, Red-breasted Merganser, Jay, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and Ptarmigan. This has resulted in an increased number of records. So thank you. This year 2024 Twite has been added.
I would also like to thank Carol James who is leaving the area to live in Norfolk. Carol was recruited by a former SOC President Janet Crummy when she moved to Scotland around 2001. She has an active interest in nature with birds a particular interest, and has been an active member of the group over a long period. Carol along with Kathy Bonniface has provided tea and coffee at meetings since around 2012 for a number of years. We wish Carol every happiness in her move south. Neither are here tonight as they are both on a birding holiday in Sweden.
Thanks to all of you who attend meetings and outings and support Highland SOC.
Finally apologies to anyone who I may have inadvertently missed!
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Secretary’s Report: Mary Galloway
This year has seen a return to a more normal schedule after the disruption of Covid 19.
Our branch organized one zoom event – Les Hatton speaking on the Tay reed beds plus four indoor meetings. Numbers attending remained low but increased after dates/topics were advertised on Whats App General Birds, Highland Facebook page and in the Spotlight magazine. The committee will continue to advertise as there is a need to have new and perhaps some younger members.
Following the results of the recent Survey sent out to our members, the committee will organize a mixed calendar of face to face and zooms in the future season, with Caithness and Orkney branches welcome to join in zooms. Many thanks to members who took part in this survey – a summary has been circulated by Mailchimp.
SOC HQ will continue to provide monthly zooms Scotland-wide, plus visiting speakers to Highland branch in October, November, February and March.
Blogs of outings are on our website and places visited have been varied and covered some of the vast Highland branch area. Many thanks to the leaders for sharing their time and expertise.
Membership to date is 282.
Alister thanked Mary for her report.
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Treasurer’s Report: Carol Miller
A copy of the audited, signed accounts was circulated.
Carol outlined the income and expenditure, highlighting
The bank balance (10.03.24) is £3091.56.
Currently in the process of setting up online banking for the account.
Carol thanked John Carruthers for auditing the accounts.
There were no questions arising.
Proposer: David Galloway Seconder: Alex Joss
The Chairperson thanked Carol for her report.
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Survey on members’ preferences on Indoor Meetings : Alister Clunas
A copy of the results of the survey were circulated to members by mailchimp. Peter Gordon devised the survey with help from HQ. There was a 19% response rate which was considered reasonable. The survey asked for people’s preferences as to talks by zoom or face to face. In the large geographic that is Highland those outside commuting distance of Inverness favoured the continuation of Zoom while others valued face to face meetings. There was a reluctance to drive to meetings in the winter months. The committee decided that December and January would be Zoom meetings with the autumn and Spring meetings face to face. If anyone has any further comments then they are welcome to get in touch with the committee.
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Highland Bird Report: Alex Joss
A copy of Alex’s report had been previously circulated.
2022 HBR printed copies are available at the price of £10 (+ £2.50 P&P if required), the same as the previous year, 80 copies ordered.
2023 authors: all five new authors in 2022 - David Patterson, Sue Sykes, Dave Barnett, Fiona Reid and Adam Ritchie, are to continue for 2023 and Dave Galloway has agreed to continue. There are four new volunteers for 2023 - Andy Douse, Joe Newman, Tony Laidler and Chris Donald.
Brian Etheridge and Andy Williams have retired after many years of excellent service.
Invited articles: five were volunteered, on Capercaillie long-term sustainability, by Andy Douse, on Blowfly parasitizing nesting birds, by Murdo MacDonald, on Crossbills, by Peter Stronach, on the Ovenbird on Rum in 2023, by Sean Morris and on the Brown Booby off the east coast in 2023, by Al McNee.
eBird database: will be available to authors now that its reliability is improved by being validated by Peter Stronach.
The Chairperson thanked Alex, and all his bird report contributors, for the production of Highland Birds 2022.
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Highland Recorder’s Report: John Poyner
A copy of John’s report had been previously circulated.
Birdtrack continues to provide the bulk of records for Highland, with 184,731 submissions for 2023, an increase of over 22,000 from the figure of 163385 in 2022 and back to a similar figure from 2021. Ebird had 95583 entries compared to 88720 in 2022 so also a significant amount of data. (Bear in mind that the ebird default for Highland includes Caithness and Nairn so this figure is inflated, and I was unable to easily remove these from the numbers). It’s likely that many of these are duplicated between the two systems so getting an idea of total unique records quite difficult. Peter Stronach took over as reviewer for ebird last year, so I think this should improve the quality of the data and a spreadsheet was provided of all ebird data to the Bird Report team to work through along with that downloaded from Birdtrack. There continues to be a good response to records requiring a description, all BBRC and SBRC species were submitted with just a handful of missing HRC descriptions still being chased up. Some social media records by “non-birders” where there was clearly a good photo were submitted and accepted per Recorder ie the Stone Curlew near Beauly, a superb record that would have been lost were it not for a Facebook post.
There were 15 submissions made to SBRC in 2023, bulked up by a wave of Cory’s & Great Shearwater sightings and some of these late from 2022. All of these were accepted, with two still pending to date, a Short-Toed Lark on Cairngorm and another Cory’s.
There were 14 BBRC submissions made, Brown Booby, American Herring Gull and Steppe Grey Shrike accepted as new species/sub-species for the Highland list. An intriguing record of a Pallid Harrier pairing with a Hen Harrier and producing offspring is still in circulation.
By far the largest task was the RBBP submission which was forwarded to Mark Eaton in due time last November. It had been noted that there was a lot of duplication with Badenoch & Strathspey Goldeneye data, which is also submitted by the Goldeneye Study Group. This has been improved and I will now provide them with all the Birdtrack records to complement their own data and iron out duplicates. My submission will only concentrate on records from out with this area, which is also a sensible reduction in workload for the report….there are a lot of Goldeneye records to sift through!!
Crested Tit data continues to now be submitted also, although accurate breeding numbers are still difficult to assess in core areas, it is providing RBBP with a baseline and useful data as to the extralimital boundaries of the population. A reduction of records from further SW down the Great Glen for example.
Al McNee, Jon Clarke & myself still admin the WhatsApp groups with Peter Stronach also on the Rare Bird Group. There is some frustration with trying to keep it to key species etc rather than “day lists”, we have tried! However they continue to act as a great resource for bringing birders together in the region and no doubt increase the number of records we are getting. Likewise the various Facebook groups connecting the more remoter corners of the region, each with their own “admins” feeding in records.
I’d also like to thank the continuing efforts of the website team in collecting records from numerous sources and maintaining an excellent sightings page. This acts a great resource for myself to cross check from as well as continuing to provide the best source for current Highland Bird news. The bird news services continue to put out some unverified sightings with little checking, however the situation with Birdguides at least is much improved and they do often contact me beforehand.
And of course, I am indebted to the continued sterling efforts of HRC and the new Chair Peter Gordon for a big effort in getting submissions back up to date after things stalling for a while, during finding a replacement for Stu Crutchfield.
The Chairperson thanked John for his report.
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Highland Records Committee Report: Pete Gordon
Pete’s report had been previously circulated.
Highland Records Committee is a sub-committee of SOC Highland Branch, charged with assessing claims of species and subspecies that are rare in a Highland context.
Membership Marcus Conway left during the course of year and is thanked for his contribution. Peter Gordon replaced him as Chair. Neil Bennett also joined. Other members are Steve Broyd, Kate Clarke, Andy Williams, Simon Eaves, Dean MacAskill and George Gay.
Methods Records are passed by the Local Recorder (John Poyner) to the Chairman who sends out batches to the committee for assessment. Six members vote “Accept” or “Not Proven”, giving reasons, on each record. These are assessed “blind” i.e. members do not know how others vote on first circulation and members do not vote on their own records. Accept votes of 6-0 or 5-1 deem the record accepted. Other outcomes necessitate a recirculation, where members see the reasons for voting on first circulation. Again, a 6-0 or 5-1 vote for acceptance is needed. The Recorder passes the verdict to the observer, with a summary of reasons if a record is found Not Proven.
Workload 90 records for 2023 were assessed as at 20/03/2024 of which 83 (92.2%) were considered proven. The commonest species accepted were Ring-necked Duck (8), Great White Egret (4), Green-winged Teal (4), Mediterranean Gull (4) and Little Ringed Plover (4). It is noteworthy that all bar the last of these species were once sufficiently rare as to require assessment by the British Birds Rarities Committee.
Scope An updated list of species and subspecies requiring assessment by Highland Records Committee is published on the Branch website. Additionally, the Recorder may ask for descriptions of other species such as out-of-range birds (such as Crested Tits in Lochaber) or unusual timings (such as December Willow Warblers).
There were no questions.
The Chairperson gave thanks to Pete for his report, and to all HRC members.
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Highland Birds Website: Pete Gordon
Pete’s report had been previously circulated.
This was set up by Peter Stronach in January 2016. Its address is www.highlandbirds.scot and is visible to anyone, without need of a password. The current Webmaster is Peter Gordon assisted by Carol Miller.
Sightings This page is by far the most commonly accessed. It is updated on a daily basis to give early notice of notable bird sightings in Highland. These are claims, not assessed and verified records and details of rare breeding birds are not published. This page is updated by a small team working in rotation of Mike Crutch, Steve Broyd and Iris Cheshire. During the course of the year Debbie Borthwick stood down and is thanked for her efforts.
Highland Bird Report Reports from 2019 to 2022 are now published online and can be freely accessed by anyone.
Blogs An account of as many of the Branch Outings as possible is published here to allow participants to relive the day and to encourage others to join. Blogs on other matters are always welcome.
Events Details of forthcoming Outings, Indoor Meetings and anything else of note are published here.
Where to Go This complements the SOC Birding App and accounts of additional sites or refreshment of existing site details would be welcome.
Views Over the period 1/4/2023 to 20/3/2024 there were 64661 visits and 114508 page views, a 6.8% increase over the corresponding period last year.
Help! If anyone has expertise in web creation and is willing to refresh the website please contact Peter Gordon at [email protected]
There were no questions arising.
The Chairperson thanked Pete, and the sightings submitters, Mike Crutch, Debbie Borthwick, Steve Broyd and Iris Cheshire for the smooth operation of Highland Birds.
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Highland SOC Council Representative’s Report: – Pete Gordon
Pete’s report was circulated previously.
This brief report itemises only the more important items considered during this period.
Meetings Council held four routine meetings in June, September, December and March plus an extraordinary meeting in February (to discuss future staffing). Council Membership During the year Prof Jeremy Wilson stood down as Vice-president (Birding and Science) to be replaced by Chris Wernham and Lesley Creamer stood down as VP (Management & Infrastructure) to be replaced by George Ross. Brian Cox joined Council as an elected member and Stephen Metcalfe joined the Management Committee. Staffing After many years of sterling service to the Club, Wendy Hicks announced her intention to resign to take on fresh challenges, effective from May 2024. Council reviewed the Club’s activities, deciding that none should be dropped, recognised that staff’s heavy workloads were unsustainable, that some staff wished to shorten their hours and that two posts should be created, a Club Manager (largely replacing Wendy’s role) and an Administration Officer (to take on more routine matters). Job descriptions are to be prepared and advertisements placed as soon as practicable, to ensure some overlap with Wendy prior to her departure).
Mark Lewis resigned as Birding & Science Officer, to be replaced by David Raffle. Finance The SOC has very substantial reserves and Charities Commission is keen to see that these are spent in furtherance of the Club’s aims. Nevertheless, Council is concerned that expenditure continues to exceed income and is considering ways in which this gap can be closed. Two recent, substantial, legacies provide a very welcome cushion and make possible the decision to increase staffing. A budgetary process has been initiated to try to ensure proper scrutiny of income, expenditure and cash flow. Subscriptions These were last raised two years ago and are to be increased in the next year. The exact amounts are not known at the time of writing but fees for younger and student members will increase by a smaller percentage than adult members to encourage joining. An annual review (not necessarily an increase) of subs will take place from now on, to consider cost of living, affordability and effect on level of resignations. Events The Annual Conference and AGM were held in November in Pitlochry. Online participation was also possible. Cost of attendance in person is increasingly putting people off but there are few suitable venues of sufficient size. Council is considering alternative options but no decision has yet been made. Bookings were high for the Spring Conference in March in Ayrshire. SOC Website (not the Highland Branch one). It became necessary to spend money reconstructing the website to ensure it is safe from hacking. Priority has been given to ensuring that new members can join online as having to do so by telephone was putting people off. Membership As at 5/3/2024 there were 2934 subscriptions (2936 at 31/3/2023). Note that membership figure is higher. Risk Register This is reviewed regularly to try to ensure that any eventuality can be dealt with properly. Publications Four issues of the club journal Scottish Birds were published in hard copy and online. Bird Camp A joint venture with BTO, this has been advertised again for 2024.
The Chairperson thanked Pete for his report. There were no questions arising.
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Retiring Committee members
The Chairperson announced no resignations from the committee.
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Election of Office Bearers and Committee members
Caroline Pearson has agreed to join the committee
Proposer : Alex Joss Seconder : Adam Ritchie
Alice Taylor has agreed to join the committee
Proposer : David Galloway Seconder : David Bain
The Chairperson welcomed these new committee members and indicated that if any other branch members had an interest in helping the committee, please come forward.
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Highland SOC Species Focus 2022 - John Poyner
Mary read out John’s report
I’ve received 22 emails with records from members of the public that specifically mentioned the SOC “species focus”, Ptarmigan records in particular have been sent by hillwalkers which otherwise may not have been submitted.
Using Birdtrack data, there were the following increases in records for the key species between 2022 & 2023
Jay 30.4%, Crested Tit 31.3%, Whinchat 36.1%, Ptarmigan 44.6% Red-breasted Merganser and Spotted Flycatcher 8%. It could be with Jay that there are just more birds being seen however it’s increase does seem to tally with the others.
It is very rough science, but if we take a “control” species to compare, in this case I used House Sparrow, the increase in records was 8% which may just reflect the overall increase in data input between the two years. Other than Spotted Fly and RBM which seem relatively the same the other species do seem to have benefitted from the publicity of the species focus.
Twite was added to the list for 2024 as there is an indication of some decline on the west, where recording is also much lower, and this does need monitoring.
Phil asked a question about the boundaries of the Highland Recording Area. Peter Stronach pointed him to the recording page on Highland Birds website which has a zoomable google map of the recording area.
Andy asked for clarification of the reasons for the species focus. Alister explained that it was a citizen science project to increase the breeding records of interesting species. Andy thought that a method should be developed for monitoring Ptarmigan as the species is thought to be declining.
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AOB:
David Galloway proposed a vote of thanks to the Chair and all the committee for the smooth running of Highland Branch this past year. He commented on the welcome return of face to face meetings this year.
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Thanks and close of meeting
The Chairperson thanked everyone for their continued support this year. It is only through the hard work of Highland Group members that the branch can continue its activities. As there was no other business, Alister closed the AGM and thanked everyone for attending.
The meeting closed at 7.52pm
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