2011 conference: Strathpeffer, Scotland 24-26 September

The IWSG Conference 2011 will be held at the Ben Wyvis Hotel, Strathpeffer, in the Scottish Highlands, and hosted by the Highland Ringing Group.
The main part of the conference will run from Saturday 24 September to Sunday 25 September, when there will be excursions in the afternoon. Monday 26 September will be devoted to workshops. The venue can hold a maximum of 120 people, so early registration is recommended.
Registration for the conference opens on the 15 March 2011 and submissions for presentations and posters will be welcomed from that date.

Please check the IWSG website regularly to receive further information on the venue, travel, registration and deadlines.
The main organisers (Brian Etheridge and Ron Summers) can best be contacted via conf2011@waderstudygroup.org.

The Highland Ringing Group
The Highland Ringing Group (HRG) was formed in 1973 by a group of amateur bird ringers with the view to carry out bird ringing and related studies to further the knowledge and conservation of birds in the Highlands and Islands, and Moray Firth faunal area in particular. It also promotes the training of members in the techniques of bird ringing.
The group began cannon-netting in 1977, and since then, has ringed over 72,000 waders and almost 9,000 ducks. Recoveries and biometric studies have shown the origin of the wintering birds, whilst the structure of the populations has been described in terms of sex and age. The latter also gives a measure of the breeding success in the past season. Re-captures of ringed birds have provided estimates of survival. Collection of moult data has allowed estimates of primary moult duration. Data on mass has been used to show responses to winter weather.
Many HRG members also take part in the Wetland Bird Survey, thereby contributing to our knowledge of the population dynamics of different species.
As well as publications describing numbers and origins of all species, single species accounts have also been published on Oystercatcher, Knot, Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone, some in collaboration with other Scottish ringing groups.

The area

The Moray Firth comprises the most northerly complex of estuaries on the East Atlantic Flyway. These are, from north to south, Loch Fleet, Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth, Inverness Firth, Beauly Firth and Findhorn Bay. A "firth" is a large inlet of the sea with estuarine habitats (sand and mud-flats) at the head.
In winter, the Moray Firth supports around 42,000 waders and 60,000 ducks. There are internationally important numbers for several species. Also, in winter, the surrounding farmland is used by flocks of Pink-footed Geese, Greylag Geese and Whooper Swans from Iceland.

The birds

The table shows winter numbers of waterfowl and waders in the Moray Firth, in 1994/95 for waterfowl and 2002/03 for waders, an indication of trend, and origins. Those species for which the Moray Firth is internationally important are shown in bold. Data from the Wetland Bird Survey