• When here in the Outer Hebrides and looking at a bird, have you ever wondered how rare it is? The status of all species can vary enormously from island to island. How rare is Shoveler on Barra, has Stock Dove been seen on Harris, does Dotterel occur on Benbecula in the autumn, and how common is Blue Tit on North Uist? Well, fret no longer! The Status and Distribution of birds here on the Outer Hebrides has been completely updated and summarised for every species and each of the main islands and outliers. Available as an online resource at https://status.outerhebrides-birdreports.org/ or via our shop

    New - now available as an ebook

Course Young Birders' Training Course 2019

YvonneB

OH Bird Recorder
SOC and Isle of May Bird Observatory’s (IoMBO), Nature of Scotland Award Shortlisted, ‘Young Birders’ Training Course’

The SOC and Britain’s oldest continuously accredited bird observatory, IoMBO, are working in partnership for the sixth 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 6 – 13 July 2019.

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.allison@the-soc.org.uk. The closing date for completed applications is 5pm, Wednesday 1 May 2019. Completed forms should be emailed to jane.allison@the-soc.org.uk or posted to: Jane Allison (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 6 - 13 July 2019). 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

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