The evening programme of the Ayrshire Branch of the SWT and details of the outdoor programme of the Central RSPB Group/Ayrshire SOC are now posted on the Events Page.  This page also has the details of the change of venue for the SOC Conference held on 26-28 October in Aviemore.

It is awful to think that Autumn is (almost) upon us and the new season of club events about to get started. To get things going we have the latest newsletters from the Ayrshire SOC and the Central Ayrshire RSPB Members’ Group and a special Sea-bird Special. (Note these are all PDF documents and should open automatically in your browser.If they don’t, then please ask Mr Google for help). Click on the links below to view the newsletters.

• RSPB Gannet 
• SOC Stonechat 
• Sea-bird Special 

Recently some son-of-a-batchelor got into the Ayrshire Birding site and defaced the administration pages.  The only publicly visible sign of this was Google showing links from the site to dodgy pharmaceutical vendors.  Now, you may have visited this site in search of their products, but I’m afraid since they didn’t offer to share the profits with me we had to part company.  I’m afraid it wasn’t amicable: I’ve just trashed the old site and completely rebuilt it from backups with a clean installation.  Things are mostly back to normal but bear with me for the next week or so as I nail things down.  Fortunately the only “sensitive” information on the site are some photos that claim to be from Ayrshire but I suspect were taken in Galloway…

The whole thing has re-enforced two things:

1. Always do backups
2. Always do backups!!

Making good use of the recent wet weather, Angus Hogg has updated the Ayrshire Rare Birds status page which lists all species with fewer than 20 records.

Roger Ratcliffe

Two sought-after bird guides by the Rev. J. M. McWilliam, a founding member and Honorary President of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, have been republished as eBooks. Proceeds are being donated to the SOC. The Birds of the Island of Bute (1927) and The Birds of the Firth of Clyde (1936) have long been collectors’ items with copies sometimes selling for more than £100.

Next season’s evening programme of events for the Central Ayrshire RSPB group and their outdoor programme in conjunction with the Ayrshire SOC group are now on the Events page. Events for other organisations will be posted if and when I receive them (did you notice that subtle hint to their committees?)

Update 16-June: SOC Ayrshire Branch picked up the hint – their winter programme is now posted.

The Ayrshire Bird Report 2010 has now been published. Please see the Bird Report section for the contents and where to get a copy.

Please see the attached flyer  for information on the BTO Heronry Survey in 2012.

Brian Broadley, BTO Representative, Ayrshire

Here is the final issue of the Ayrshire Atlas Newsletter.
Part one and Part two

Brian Broadley, Ayrshire Atlas Coordinator

Dave Grant has put together a film of a Short-eared Owl out hunting at Bogside.  The music is “Maid with Flaxen Hair” by Debussy (and yes, he knows about the missing apostrophe!).  Enjoy.