Talks

Branch Talks

This season the meetings will, again, be a mix of SOC-wide online meetings and Clyde Branch in-person meetings. Please note below the new venue for this season's talks.

Clyde branch in-person meetings are usually held on the first Monday of the month and are highlighted in green in the talks programme below.

The venue for the in-person meetings is: Partick Burgh Hall, 9 Burgh Hall Street, Partick, Glasgow G11 5LW [map]

Our in-person meetings start at 7.00pm (note earlier time this season) and the hall is available from 6pm if you wish to meet up earlier.

Online meetings and talks are held on zoom and start at 7.30pm

There is further information below for meetings at Partick Burgh Hall and for zoom instructions

Contact for any talks queries: Rebecca Dickson

Grey Heron © Rebecca Dickson

2026-27 Talks programme

Our SOC and Clyde Branch talks for the coming season are as follows:

Date	Time	Talk	Format
Monday 14 September	7pm	Chris Cathrine – Reflecting on changes to ornithology in consultancy over the last 20 years	In Person
Wednesday 16 September	7.30pm	Peter Roberts – The Birds of Islay and Jura. The results of four years spent writing a book on the islands' avifauna, showcasing some of Scotland's best-loved birdwatching destinations.	Online
Monday 5 October	7pm	Glyn Young – Saving the Madagascar Pochard. The story of one of the world's rarest ducks, rediscovered in 2006 after 17 years, and the effort to secure its future.	In Person
Wednesday 14 October	7.30pm	Katherine Booth Jones – Telling Tales with Tech: A Glimpse into the Secret Lives of Seabirds. Drawing on 19 years' experience tracking storm and Gadfly petrels, gulls and auks, and how technology is transforming our understanding of seabird ecology.	Online
Monday 2 November	7pm	Pat Monaghan – Choughs	In Person
Wednesday 18 November	7.30pm	Dan Gardoqui – Talking with Birds. An exploration of bird language beyond calls and song – body language, positioning and vocalisation – and how birdwatchers can tune in to it more closely.	Online
Monday 7 December	7pm	Will Cresswell – Corn Buntings in Fife. How monitoring since 1990 and local culture change have helped turn the tide for this declining species in the region.	In Person
Wednesday 16 December	7.30pm	Talk & speaker TBA	Online
Monday 11 January	7pm	Neil Metcalfe – Nature Regeneration. Rewilding and regeneration in Scotland, balancing timber production (often non-native conifers) against biodiversity, and conflicts arising from predator/prey dynamics.	In Person
Wednesday 13 January	7.30pm	Kirsty Park – Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity	Online
Monday 1 February	7pm	Edward Marshall – HAR Solutions on Restoring Island Ecosystems and Protecting Seabirds. From volunteering in the UK to leading island restoration work in New Zealand and now restoring UK islands.	In Person
Wednesday 17 February	7.30pm	Mike Thornton – Understanding Scotland's Birds of Prey. Scotland's importance for breeding raptors, the challenges they face, and the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme established in 2002.	Online
Monday 1 March	7pm	Speaker TBA – The Bird Atlas Project	In Person
Wednesday 17 March	7.30pm	Catriona Morrison – Using Citizen Science Data to Identify Targets for Conservation Action in European Landbirds. How long-term citizen science data can help identify effective demographic, spatial and scale-based targets to reverse population declines.	Online
Monday 5 April	7pm	AGM & Rebecca Dickson – The Clyde Ringing Group's Adventures in Portugal. Migration ringing trips to the Algarve, showcasing species seen and ringing recoveries from Autumn 2025/2026.	In Person
Wednesday 14 April	7.30pm	Kate Thompson – Monitoring Waterfowl: Technology, New Developments, and the Moray Firth	Online

The in-person meetings start at 7pm
The online meetings start at 7.30pm

Further Information

* In Person meeting venue
Our in-person talks take place in Partick Burgh Hall. This is near Partick bus, underground and train station (see link for map). Car parking should be available in the adjacent streets e.g. Burgh Hall Street, Peel Street and Fortrose Street once the parking regulation hours have passed (currently after 6pm).

This is a new venue for this season. The venue is cheaper to hire than our previous venue and therefore we have been able to reduce the entrance fee. Based on the average number attending meetings last season it is proposed that we charge an entrance fee of £3. There will be no additional charge for the tea, coffee, and biscuits. The fee will be reduced to £1 for students and for others at the discretion of the committee. It would be very helpful if you could bring with you the exact amount of £3. We do not have any debit / credit card handling facility.

Online meetings:
For the meetings that are marked as "online" an invitation with a link to the Zoom meeting will be sent out a few days before the event via email. To receive this notice, please ensure that you are on the appropriate mailing list held by SOC HQ. If you are unsure, you can check your mailing list preferences by emailing Kathryn Cox or if you know you do not receive branch notices but would like to, you can sign up here (please note these will only be sent to SOC members).

Instructions on how to use Zoom.