Can’t believe that it is only 26 more sleeps until New Year’s Day and the start of the SOS New Year Bird Race.  Hope that you will soon start getting your teams and routes organised!  In 2025 16 different teams took part; they clocked up 147 different species, one more than in 2024, and raised over £1800 (including Gift aid) for SOS conservation projects. The winners, with 98 species, were The North Wallcreepers.

Regular racers will know the Rules, and there will be further details in the winter newsletter, but the main ones are

• it must be carried out on a single day in the first two weeks of January
• you must confine yourself to within the county boundary
• teams should consist of at least 2 people
• all members of the team should see or hear the species claimed (though doesn’t have to be the same individual bird), unless the team consists of 4 or more, in which case 3 must record the species

Very good luck to all those planning to Race!

Contact Val Bentley on chetsford@talk21.com for the 2026 Race Pack