About our Society

Founded in 1952, the Banbury Ornithological Society (BOS) studies the bird life in the twelve 10km squares surrounding Banbury which includes parts of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire (see BOS area map). As well as Banbury, we cover Bicester, Brackley, Byfield, Chipping Norton, Kineton, Hook Norton, Bartons, Tysoes and locations in between. Fieldwork and bird watching is the core of BOS activity but the Society also holds regular monthly meetings, publishes a monthly Newsletter and Annual Reports, manages seven bird reserves and is pro-active in local conservation matters.  Guest speakers are invited to our scheduled indoor meetings and several outdoor meetings are arranged in the summer months.  Overviews of local study data are presented in both visual and written formats published in the Newsletters and collated in the Annual Reports.

The Society liaises closely with organisations such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), supporting and promoting relevant study activities. During its seventy-year existence, a vast amount of bird-related data has been collected by Society members. Much of this is stored on computer and amongst other things has been used to safeguard important bird areas where development has been mooted. The foresight of the early members has meant that the Society is now well placed to offer significant contributions to the study of birds in our area and beyond and to the understanding of our ever-changing environment.

If you would like to join, please come along to one of our meetings or contact our membership secretary: Membership.