Members of the bird group are invited to attend at the Quien Bird Hide at 10.00 to assist in the building of a sight screen that will visually cover passage to and from this fantastic hide. Spare a couple of hours and we will immensely improve this facility.  Bring a flask and your bins and help make a difference. Leader and site foreman Iona Gray

 The Group will visit Islay to take in the spectacular wintering geese flocks. Accomodation for three nights has been booked at Lochindaal House, Port Charlotte and car share will be arranged. 

 The Group will visit Islay to take in the spectacular wintering geese flocks. Accomodation for three nights has been booked at Lochindaal House, Port Charlotte and car share will be arranged. 

 The Group will visit Islay to take in the spectacular wintering geese flocks. Accomodation for three nights has been booked at Lochindaal House, Port Charlotte and car share will be arranged. 

 The Group will visit Islay to take in the spectacular wintering geese flocks. Accomodation for three nights has been booked at Lochindaal House, Port Charlotte and car share will be arranged. 

 Meet at Guilford Sq at 09.45 for a 10.00 start

• Participants will be split into teams ensuring a fare division of expertise,
• At 10.00 teams will set off and collect as many birds during the following three hours.
• A bird is collected if at least two members of the team have seen or heard it and are sure of its identification.
• Birds must be wild birds (no canaries, peacocks or Bernard Mathew's oven ready Turkey's) and seen/ heard on or around Bute, (photographic proof may be required by the organiser if stringy submissions are suspected ).
• The event will finish at the Black Bull (or other venue as agreed at the start) at 13.00. 

Organiser Doug Menzies

 Meet at Guilford Square at 10.00

We will split into groups and try to establish how many Curlew there are wintering on Bute this winter.

Curlew is an interesting wader and Bute is an important site for this species with large flocks frequently encountered.

The Wetlands Bird Survey's threshhold for defining an area as being of importance, for Curlew, at a national level is 1400. It is believed that at least this number winter on Bute and if we can establish this then our count will help in the monitoring of this wader.

Also we will cover some good birding habitat and see many more birds in the process.

Leader Ian Hopkins

 Meet at Rothesay Harbour at 07.45 for the 8.00 ferry

The group will pay a visit to RSPB Lochwinnoch for a look around this interesting reserve, followed by a look at the birds of the Clyde Estuary at Erskine. 

Leader Bill Stein

 Meet at St Blanes Hotel, Kilchattan Bay at 10.00

We will repeat the walk that the group did last year in search of coastal and sea birds. The route follows the West Island Way around the south of the island past Glen Callum Bay and Loch na Leigh before meeting Plan Road at St Balnes Church.This walk is approx 6 miles and is at times over some rough ground. Walking boots and waterptroofs are essential and a hot drink and sandwich suggested. We will finnish at the St Blanes Hotel for lunch and a recovery drink.

Leader Viv Shelly

 Meet at Guilford Square at 08.00 and we will car share to keep costs to a minimum.

Our route will take us off the top of the island to the Portavadie - Tarbert ferry and then on to Tayinloan where we will cross as foot passengers to Gigha. At this time of year the Sound of Gigha is a wintering area for scarce sea birds such as Long-tailed Duck, Scoter, Grebes and Divers. We will bird off the ferries and stop at a couple of sites on route to the Gigha ferry at Tayinloan. The time spent travelling by car is not great and is broken by the ferry trips which, at this time of year, offer great birding opportunities. We will lunch at the Gigha Hotel and  return to Bute for approx 18.00.

Leader Doug Menzies