Tain and District Field Club has hosted informative and social meetings for over 33 years. The emphasis is on natural history focusing on both this local area and within the wider scientific community as well.

Speakers have come from all over the British Isles with their specialties and we are a richer community for their contributions over the period.

Unless otherwise specified meet at 7:30pm in the Tain Parish Church Hall.

Programme for the 2013 – 2014 Season of Lectures
10/09/2013 AGM Tuesday at 7pm followed by lecture at 7:30pm	Atlantic Hazel Sandy & Brian Coppins, (Atlantic Hazel Action Group, AHAG) ( See 1, 2 )
08/10/2013 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Spiders Hayley Wiswell, Invertebrate Ecologist, Carrbridge (See 1 )
12/11/2013 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Natural History of Sawflies Jenni Stockan,  James Hutton Institute (See 1, 2 )
10/12/2013 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Lochalsh Flame Shell Reef Dr. Dan Harries, Heriot Watt University (See 1, 2, 3 )
14/01/2014 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Ringing Choughs and Shags Dr. Jane Reid,  Aberdeen University (See 1 )
25/01/2014 Saturday	Members’ Evening, To be confirmed
11/02/2014 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Why are our trees dying? Dr. Stephen Woodward, Aberdeen University (See 1, 2 )
11/03/2014 Tuesday at 7:30pm	Scotland’s Forgotten Kingdom (Fungi) Andy Taylor, James Hutton Institute (See 1, 2)

Future Field Excursions in 2013 – 2014

14th – 16th June 2013 Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday	Lochinver area Various shoreline, woodland, moorland walks. B&B, Bunkhouse, Camping available Suggested Itineraries Community woodlands at Culag – network of paths – short walks for Friday evening. Walk up river Inver on anglers path – woodland walk also – a circular walk to Glen Canisp lodge. Walk up river Kirkaig to Falls.  Coffee shop at Achins Bookshop. Beachy walk at Achmelvich Headland / seawatching walk from lighthouse to Point of Stoer Bone cave, Inchnadamph, on way home, for limestone flowers. Further details to be confirmed
9th July 2013 Tuesday	Loch Fleet area evening walk
13th August 2013 Tuesday	Beach Combing and Beasties Barbecue and rockpooling Evening, to be announced
Previous Field Excursions

Please Note:
All field trips are dependent on weather and the vagaries of nature so please let us know by e-mail or phone that you intend to come two or three days before the trip.

Anyone attending Tain & District Field Club meetings or field trips does so at their own risk.

Tain is located in Easter Ross – that’s the eastern part of Ross-shire, north of Inverness, in Scotland.

Tain is very near several large tidal inlets; the Dornoch Firth on our northern doorstep, Loch Fleet, another tidal firth lies within 10 miles to the north, the Cromarty Firth is a few miles south and the Inner Moray Firth just a bit further south and east.

We have fine agricultural land around us in the east grading into poorer and higher soils going west to the mountains along Scotland’s west coast.

The climate is equable, for the northern latitude, allowing a very interesting assemblage of endemic flora.  We lie at the northern periphery of several important species of plants and animals, and correspondingly near the southern periphery of others.

The activities of TDFC revolve around the winter schedule of speakers, each selected for their expertise and also their ability to relate to our audience. There are also a couple of social events to help bind community links and, importantly, there are trips into the field to observe and learn at the hand of an expert.

For more than 30 years meetings have been held on the second Tuesday each month during the winter season, normally in the Tain Parish Church hall, (NH 779 821), starting at 19:30. Tea and coffee after speakers have finished allows discussion and networking, or more closely questioning the speaker of the day. Members discuss observations of the preceding weeks and bring notable events or observations to the attention of the meeting.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend events, lectures and field excursions.  We have a very friendly atmosphere and are as sociable as we are interested in the science and natural history presented to us.  Members contribute an annual fee and at events a small charge is asked from non-members to help defray costs.

Members of TDFC are frequently also members of the Highland Biological Recording Group or the British Trust for Ornithology. Many observations given by TDFC members are relayed to these two larger bodies where active data sets of biological records are kept. See Links for other relevant organisations.

Previous Lecture Subjects.
Previous Field Excursions.

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