Supported projects

The Birds of Moray and Nairn

Award year: 2021

Grant: £5,000

Recipient: Martin Cook

Birders generate a lot of information. On an yearly basis, this gets summarised in an annual report, offering a snapshot of the bird populations in the area for that year. However, bird populations change, and it can be extremely useful to document this as well, by bringing all of the information gathered over the years into one place – a local avifauna. Local avifaunas complement whole country avifaunas such as ‘Birds of Scotland’. They offer a more in-depth look at local trends in distribution and abundance, in this case written by Martin Cook, an author who knows the area and its birds inside out.

Published in July 2023, 30 years after the publication of the original 'The Birds of Moray & Nairn', the author returns with an updated version of this well received work. Running to nearly 400 pages, this edition covers all species recorded in Moray & Nairn in much greater detail than before. A chapter on the bird habitats of Moray & Nairn is followed by detailed accounts of the 312 species recorded in the area. Information to the end of 2021 is included within the main texts and an appendix covers the most important records of 2022. Another chapter discusses changes in bird distribution and numbers, while the final section describes 21 of the best birdwatching sites in Moray & Nairn, giving access details (with maps) and key species likely to be found there. The book is profusely illustrated with images taken by local photographers in Moray & Nairn.

Monograph on the Purple Sandpiper

Award year: 2021

Grant: £4,000

Recipient: Dr Ron Summers

This book is a synthesis of both published and unpublished data on Purple Sandpipers including some 50 years of Scottish ringing group studies. All aspects of the bird’s life history are covered, and compared and contrasted with other waders to highlight those adaptations of Purple Sandpipers to their unique lifestyle. Amber-listed, Purple Sandpiper populations are decreasing and conservations issues are fully discussed. Written in a popular style and illustrated with graphs, maps and photographs, this book brings together all current knowledge on this species to be both informative and thought-provoking.

The North Sea Bird Club 1979-2019. Birds, bats and beasties - forty years of offshore wildlife recording

Award year: 2020

Grant: £5,116

Author: Andrew Thorpe

Recipient: North Sea Bird Club

The book, published in April 2024, is a commemorative and lasting record of the achievements and activities of NSBC (“the Club”) and the records accumulated over the forty years of the Club’s existence. It presents the history and summary of collecting over 150,000 records of wildlife recorded offshore, mainly on oil and gas installations, drilling rigs and work boats servicing the North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Shetland, between 1979 and 2019. The book has 240 text pages with many illustrations and 32 pages of colour photos - all taken by observers offshore. There is a systematic list of the 240+ species that have been recorded and associated graphs to show occurrence by year and month.

Apart from birds, chapters cover Butterflies and Moths and Hoverflies and sightings of Marine Animals. Details are given of the Club’s activities over the four decades, how they have changed in response to changing working practices offshore and how technology gradually played an increasing role in record collection. Contributions from offshore workers are included to provide an insight into the joys and frustrations of birding in all weathers on a metal structure in the North Sea! The report and its associated archived reference database constitute a valuable regional resource detailing the avifauna of the North Sea, of which approximately 73% is in Scottish waters.

Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme Annual Report

Award year: 2020-22, 2017-19

Grant: £1,750 p/a

Recipient: Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme

Internationally recognised, the Scheme is a collaborative enterprise involving a number of national conservation organisations, including the SOC.The Annual Report contains accurate and up-to-date population data on Scottish raptors – data that is vital to addressing raptor conservation issues; informing the Scottish Government of the precise situation especially given the ongoing persecution of raptors in Scotland and the spread of misinformation regarding this.