Editorial

The Harrier

Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group

Guest Editorial

SOG - forty years on

This year SOG will be celebrating its Ruby Jubilee and it is amazing just how far the Group has progressed since its founding in 1973. SOG was originally split into two branches – the East Branch based in Ipswich and the West Branch based in Bury St Edmunds. Each branch had its own set of officials and more-or-less worked independently of one another. The Group initially published a bi-monthly bulletin, which featured bird-related articles, but included an extensive systematic list of birds that had been collated from members’ records. Members from both branches received the bulletin that formed the link between them.

SOG complements SNS The upsurge in the popularity of birdwatching began in the late-1960s and Suffolk birdwatchers sought up-to-date bird news, an outlet to publish their work, regular local meetings featuring bird lectures, a variety of field events and, most of all, a sense of identity. The newly formed SOG wrote its constitution in a way to ensure that it complemented the work of the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society (SNS), which had been in existence since 1929. The SNS had its own bird section and was responsible for the assessment of bird records and then publishing them in an annual report. The Suffolk Bird Report was then the only outlet for local birdwatchers to publish their work and was published annually as a section of SNS Transactions. The bird section was bound separately from 1950 to 1959, the forerunner to the modern-day Suffolk Birds, but local ornithologists had to wait until 1979 before it was handled by SOG, initially under the editorship of Derek Moore. SOG’s role to gather records The SOG constitution spelt out the need for its members to gather records and forward these to the County Recorder, a position that would remain under the auspices of SNS. SOG had its own branch Recorders, and the Group’s systematic lists were forwarded for inclusion in the annual Bird Report. To begin with, SOG initially received cursory recognition for its work, being included on a list that thanked our Editor for kindly passing on relevant records and correspondence. The branch recorders were one of the first positions to be merged and Bob Warren took over as Recorder for the whole Group. Bob spent hours meticulously logging the records and he was soon recruited to become County Recorder, a move that created further unity between SNS and SOG. Nowadays, a joint membership is available at a reduced subscription rate, where members receive four issues of The Harrier and Suffolk Birds, as well as SNS publications, a real bargain! In the last year, SNS has been a significant funder for muchneeded equipment and materials to help the Group with its activities.