Much more than R&R...

The Army Ornithological Society (AOS)

Membership of AOS is open to “serving and ex-Army personnel, other Services and their families, MOD employed civil servants and members of the Commonwealth Forces”, and the Society’s magazine, The Adjutant, can be found on AOS’s website: www.armybirding.org.uk.

The Society’s members have contributed to seabird surveys on Ascension Island, provided data for the BTO Atlas for Jura, and have contributed to the understanding of bird migration and distribution in parts of Afghanistan.

Royal Naval Birdwatching Society (RNBWS)

Membership of RNBWS is open to “serving and ex-serving members of the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and civilians who have an interest in seabirds and a desire to improve our understanding and appreciation of them”. One of the original aims was to make use of the unique opportunity the Royal Navy had to keep seabird records. Now the Navy is smaller, and civilians are more able to contribute to seabird recording, too, the Society’s focus has shifted to conservation. Issues of Sea Swallow, RNBWS’s journal can be found on its website, and detail past and current conservation projects the Society has contributed to include the study of Zino’s Petrels in Madeira, the Curlew Country project in Shropshire and seabird counts in the Shetland Isles. Phil Boak says “Please follow us on Facebook (RNBWS-Royal Naval Birdwatching Society) or visit our website”: www.rnbws.org.uk

Royal Air Force Ornithological Society (RAFOS)

Membership of RAFOS is past and present members of the RAF, civilians employed by the RAF or MoD and “any persons outside the groups above whose membership is likely to benefit the Society”. Its aims are to “promote the systematic observation of bird life, at locations at home and abroad, particularly on RAF bases… encourage the development of novice ornithologists… and to raise awareness within the RAF of the importance of bird life to the environment…”

There’s a big drive to increase the number of serving members of the Society, through initiatives like Big Base Birdwatch which Scott Drinkell initiated. Plans for contributing to conservation in 2023 include surveys at bases in Devon and Dorset and the Breeding Wader survey in the Cairngorms. For more information visit: rafornithology.org.uk