Scottish Raptor Study Group

Monitoring and conserving Scotland's birds of prey




Annual Conference

The Scottish Raptor Study Group holds its annual conference in Perthshire each February. The conference is a private event for members only, although limited invitations are sometimes offered to representatives of partner organisations.

The Area Groups take it in turns to host the event and this provides regional members with an opportunity to give informal presentations about raptor studies in their particular region. In addition, there are often a number of scientific presentations of national interest. A highlight is always the Derek Ratcliffe Memorial Lecture which is typically given by a guest speaker of international standing.

The annual conference is always well attended and draws in members from across Scotland. Plenty of time for chatting and catching up with friends and colleagues is factored into the programme, with long coffee breaks and an extended lunch.

The 2019 conference will be hosted by the South Strathclyde Raptor Study Group and includes the following topics and speakers:

Hovering on - 46 seasons with the kestrel (Gordon Riddle); Causes of kestrel population decline in the UK (Dr Staffan Roos); UHI Raptor Report (Dr Ewan Weston); Breeding and flight characteristics of the merlin and hobby (Dr Richard Sale); South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project update (Dr Catherine Barlow); Hen harrier LIFE Project update (Dr Cathleen Thomas). The Derek Ratcliffe Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Ian Newton on Fifty Years of Raptor Research. The programme will also include the SRSG AGM and the announcement of the winner of this year's Donald and Jeff Watson Memorial Award.

Please note: this is a closed conference, by invitation only.

 
Photo by Ruth Tingay

SRSG annual conference