We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 9th June at 10.00am for our SOC Borders Branch outing to the Lower Tweed. We will meet in Sprouston NT 756352 What3words - invents.vertical.crescendo  and will walk downstream along the river before returning along the former railway line. Expect to see riparian species and hedgerow passerines.

Dependent on the weather and how far you want to walk this will be a 3 mile or a 6 mile walk. Bring a packed lunch for the longer walk. Binoculars advised. Telescopes available for sharing. This is a good outing for novice birders.

Dress for the weather. No dogs please because of adjacent farms and livestock. Contact us via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/socbordersbirdwatching or on our WhatsApp group for more information.

Thank you to Tom Brewis for allowing us to use his image of the lower reaches of the Tweed. 

Earlier in the day three individuals/groups from our group will have walked three different marked routes on the Bowhill estate, recording bird species and numbers of each species in a notebook. After the walks we will hand over the data to Andy Beverley, Bowhill Countryside Ranger.  Catch up with what we saw and all our activities by popping over to our stall which has information about SOC and our branch activities. There is plenty else going on to make this a fun day out.
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The Courtyard will act as the Main Events Hub, with Bowhill partners hosting stalls and the Old Kitchen Café serving an assortment of refreshments, light lunches and treats. Stall holders will be on hand to provide species specific information and there will be some engaging activities including “Are you stronger than a Golden Eagle”, “Make your own Bird Feeder” and “Pond life identification”. There may also be chance to catch a glimpse of the iconic Red Squirrels, on a live feed provided by Go Wild. And of course you can enjoy beautiful Bowhill!

More details here: https://www.bowhillhouse.co.uk/event/bioblitz-2024/

Meet at 10a.m. at Linkfield Car Park (charge to pay) NT652787, What3words - voltages, reporter, prices.
We'll walk along to Tyninghame Bay where there's an incoming tide. Expect to see waders, wildfowl, egrets.

Move to Belhaven Bay, car park in Shore Road (Linkfield parking ticket good for here too) NT663788, What3words - taskbar, message, lads.

Expect to see waders, wildfowl, gulls, egrets, kingfisher. Sightings cannot be guaranteed!
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Dress for the weather. Wellies or waterproof walking boots. Binoculars, telescopes for sharing. Lunch & hot drink.

We will be meeting at 10am at Thornielee Forest (NT402367), off the A72 between Clovenfords and Walkerburn. Drive up to the car park where we'll be based for the duration of the outing.

This is a good vantage point over the Tweed Valley and the forestry plantations on the opposite slope. We will look for displaying raptors and anything else that we see.
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This will be a half-day outing so bring a hot drink and suitable outdoor clothing. Waterproof footwear is not required. Telescopes will be available for sharing.

We have a new set of talks to look forward to for the start of 2024.

They are all at our regular venue Trinity Centre, 20 High Cross Avenue, Melrose TD6 9SU. Events start at 7.30pm. There's a small charge £2 to members and £3 to non-members to cover hall hire..

Monday 12 February 2024 Gavin Ross – National Wildlife Crime Unit investigations;
who, what, where, why, when and how?
PC Gavin Ross represents Police Scotland on the National Wildlife Crime Unit. Gavin will cover the structure of the Unit and the network of Wildlife Crime Officers north of the border. He’ll highlight the vital role of intelligence in tackling wildlife crime, examine some real-life case studies, and look at how we can play a part.

Monday 11 March 2024 AGM & Members' Night
Following the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will include the election of the branch officers for next season, there will be refreshments and social activities to enjoy.

Monday 8 April 2024 Simon Wotton/Dr. Leah Kelly (TBC) –  Results of the 2023 Hen Harrier Survey
Once widespread in the UK, the long-suffering Hen Harrier has fallen victim to habitat loss, land use change, and persecution. The sixth national Hen Harrier Survey is hot off the press, and our guest speaker considers the results. How is the species fairing in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and what has changed since the first survey of 1988-89?

More information available on our Facebook page.

Kat Mayer gives us an update on progress with the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in this in-person meeting to get 2024 started with a powerful story.

A story of hope, community and a powerful symbol of what can be achieved when we come together. Following two epic community land-buy-outs, helped by thousands of people from all walks of life, against impossible odds, the community of Langholm now own 10,500 acres of the stunning Tarras Valley. We are now creating the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve which is one of the biggest projects of its kind in the UK for people, nature and climate.

Note there is a change of venue for this meeting only: Melrose Rugby Club, High Street, Melrose TD6 9SA

£2 to members, £3 to non-members to cover hall hire. The meeting starts at 7.30pm on Monday 8th January 2024.

Following a serious attack by a cow, Alistair Cutter retired from farm life and devoted his time to studying fauna and flora in the St Boswells area. Alistair has explored the Bemersyde Moss reserve in great depth, aided by trail cameras and thermal imaging, and he reveals the treasure trove of species discovered there.

This SOC Borders branch meeting will give us a great opportunity to savour Alistair's excellent photographs (an example of which is seen below) known from the Borders Bird Report, our website and beyond.

£2 to members, £3 to non-members to cover hall hire. The event takes place starting at 7.30pm at the Trinity Centre, 20 High Cross Avenue, Melrose TD6 9SU. ​

Opportunity to visit one or both of these great RSPB sites! Visit RSPB Mersehead at 1100am on Saturday 25th Nov and WWT Caerlaverock at 1000am on Sunday 26th. Both venues are open with no Bird Flu restrictions. You will need to organise your own accommodation if you are staying the weekend.

It is essential that you contact Malcolm Ross if you want to come for the whole weekend or for one day only so that he knows who to expect at either reserve. He will also try to arrange car sharing although this could be difficult because of the options.
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Contact details available on the SOC website https://www.the-soc.org.uk/local-branches/borders under Outings

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.
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The event takes place starting at 7.30pm at the Trinity Centre, 20 High Cross Avenue, Melrose TD6 9SU. £2 to members, £3 to non-members to cover hall hire.

Thank you to member Alistair Cutter for the use of his wonderful picture of a local dipper.