The Scottish Ornithologists' Club

24/06/2026

** Last chance to apply ** - application deadline is tomorrow at 5pm!

This year, the Club's Lothian Branch and an anonymous donor, are offering support to help young birder enthusiasts attend the SOC's Annual Conference. The Conference, which takes place on Saturday 3 October at The Venue, Eskmills, Musselburgh, will offer an engaging and unique programme celebrating....

18/06/2026

Following a wonderful and busy opening event, our new exhibition 'Impressions from the Garden' is proving a big hit with visitors to the SOC gallery.

Here are a few photos giving a taster of the artwork. The show includes paintings, prints and floral displays, all which celebrate beautiful and bountiful gardens and the plants and wildlife they support.

Artists exhibiting in the exhibition include Emily Sutton Clare Arbuthnott RSW Unity Coombes Eve Sladdin AGraceGillespie and floral designer .

'Impressions from the Garden' runs until 9 August at the SOC headquarters in Aberlady. We are open Tues-Sun 10-4.30pm.

16/06/2026

ANNUAL CONFERENCE YOUNG PERSONS SUBSIDY SCHEME
Supporting young people to attend the Club's Annual Conference

SOC has a long-standing commitment to encouraging young people to take part in Conference, recognising the valuable networking and learning opportunities it provides. Thanks to SOC Lothian Branch, and an anonymous donor, 15 subsidised Conference places are available, allowing successful applicants to attend for £15 per person.

The Conference, which takes place on Saturday 3 October at The Venue, Eskmills, Musselburgh, will offer an engaging and unique programme celebrating 90 years of birdwatcher’s contributions to Scottish ornithology.

Visit https://www.the-soc.org.uk/blogs/news/supporting-young-birdwatchers-to-attend-the-soc-s-annual-conference to view the application criteria and apply before the deadline of Thursday 25 June 2026 at 5pm

Young birdwatchers © Sam Hood

This year, the Club's Lothian Branch and an anonymous donor, are offering support to help young birder enthusiasts attend the SOC's Annual Conference. The Conference, which takes place on Saturday 3 October at The Venue, Eskmills, Musselburgh, will offer an engaging and unique programme celebrating....

11/06/2026

OPTICS DEMO DAY | SATURDAY 20 JUNE | WATERSTON HOUSE, ABERLADY | FREE, DROP-IN EVENT

On Saturday 20 June, from 10.30am - 3.00pm, we'll be hosting another one of our popular Optics Demo days, alongside staff from Viking Optical

These events are a great opportunity to test out the latest models and take advantage of the free, expert, impartial advice on offer, to help you select the right equipment for you.

With the aid of our viewing platform overlooking Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, you'll also have the opportunity to test out and compare models under field conditions.

If there are any particular models you would like to try out on the day, please contact us in advance to let us know www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/contact

100% of the profits from optics and other sales are invested back into our charity.

Find out more about the optical equipment we stock all year-round at Club Headquarters, visit: www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/shop

11/06/2026

We are delighted to welcome local florist Lottie Longman to the SOC this Saturday 13 June.

Lottie will be creating a pop-up flower shop, offering beautiful seasonal bouquets, to celebrate the opening of our new exhibition, Impressions from the Garden.

We would love you to join us at our headquarters in Aberlady (2-4pm) for this special event.

The exhibition features artwork by Emily Sutton Unity Coombes Clare Arbuthnott RSW Eve Sladdin and AGraceGillespie alongside floral arrangements by . Several of the artists will be joining us on the day and available to chat about their work and creative process.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the SOC’s own wildlife garden. Members of our volunteer gardening team will be on hand to share their knowledge of the plants and flowers and answer any questions you may have.

We hope you can join us for an inspiring afternoon of art, flowers and gardening.

10/06/2026

Exciting news! We are getting ready for our new exhibition 'Impressions from the Garden' opening in the gallery this Saturday 13 June.

The show is bursting with a vibrant and colourful mix of paintings, prints and floral arrangements by artists and .

Please join us for the opening reception 2-4pm at our headquarters in Aberlady, for your chance to see this beautiful show and meet some of the artists. At the opening there will also be a pop-up flower shop, selling freshly cut bouquets by local florist .

09/06/2026

SOC ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2026 & AGM - BOOKINGS NOW OPEN!
Saturday 3 October | The Venue, Musselburgh | Booking essential

"Celebrating 90 Years of Scottish Birdwatcher's Contributions to Ornithology"

We’re delighted to invite you to book your place(s) at the Club’s flagship event, the Annual Conference. This year marks an important milestone for the Charity, as we celebrate 90 years of the SOC. Plans are afoot to make this one of the best conferences yet!

This year's event will bring together bird enthusiasts from across Scotland and beyond, for a full day of talks, discussion and celebration around our wonderful birdlife. The Conference will explore the diverse ways in which birdwatchers across Scotland contribute to Scottish ornithology, highlighting key activities such as ringing, recording, research, arts and everyday birdwatching.

Confirmed speaker line-up:
• Roy Dennis
• Heather Ritchie-Parker
• Jane Smith
• John Simpson
• Ptolemy McKinnon
• Asia Kane
• Ian Andrews
• Leah Gray

Places are available priced from £30 - £90. Spaces are limited and support is available to help young birdwatchers attend, see tinyurl.com/ykjh7s67 for application criteria and to apply.

Please visit the website for full programme information and to book your place tinyurl.com/bd6jvp9f

Osprey © www.LaurieCampbell.com

04/06/2026

What a fantastic opportunity for young nature enthusiasts in Scotland!

Free marine residential opportunity for young people in Scotland

With thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund Young Start programme, the Marine Conservation Society is offering 10 free places each on two marine conservation residentials this summer to young people (13-17 years) living in the central belt of Scotland.

📍Location: Millport Field Studies Centre, Isle of Cumbrae,

🐋Dates: 20-22 July and 10-12 August 2026

These residentials are for young people interested in learning more about our marine environment, meeting like-minded people, and having fun outdoors! We are particularly interested in hearing from young people who would normally face barriers to attend such an event. The experience will include island walks, ID workshops, team building, ocean learning and beach time.

To apply for one of the places, fill in this form below by Friday 12th June 2026.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=RAO86aLgXUWmOjvQK27nMio4wHv7MypNqXOhr_9KOx9UQ0NHVUFQVVVFSlQwWko0NU83Vzg2WFMyWi4u&route=shorturl

03/06/2026

This we're celebrating the contributions of our extraordinary volunteers.

From helping with the library, archives, gallery, garden and events at Waterston House, to running our local branches, editing Scottish Birds, recording birds and producing local bird reports, volunteers underpin everything we do.

So a big ‘thank you’ to all our volunteers across the country!

For more information about volunteering for SOC and opportunities to get involved, visit the-soc.org.uk/pages/volunteering

03/06/2026

It’s the final week of our exhibition ‘Natural Collection’, which closes on Sunday 7 June.

It’s been a real pleasure to work with and their artist members to bring this exhibition to the gallery.  With over 50 pieces in the exhibition, many of which have been inspired by our own SOC archives,  this really is a show with something for everyone!

Don’t miss you chance to pop along and see the show at our headquarters in Aberlady before it closes. We are open Tues-Sun 10.00-4.30pm.

Images include: .studio and Jennifer Hazel Kalorkoti