Newsletter Autumn 2008

Wednesday September 17th

High Tide Watch at Penclacwydd. Meet at Centre at 6.15pm. High Tide is at 20.22hrs with a height of 8.2m. There will be a fee of £4.00 for this event which will include coffee/tea biscuits plus a donation of £2.50 to the Centre. We should see a good selection of waders and wildfowl and normally at this time of year large numbers of Little Egrets. Fingers crossed for a rarity!

Wednesday October 22nd.

The Annual General Meeting will take place at the National Wetlands Centre at 7.30pm and will be followed by an illustrated talk on the Wildlife of the Teifi Valley by Mr Melvyn Grey. Followed by tea/coffee and biscuits

Wednesday November 5th

A talk by Blaise Bullimore on his work as Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries EMS. Officer to commence at 7.30pm at the National Wetlands Centre. Tea/coffee and biscuits to follow at £1.50 per head. Donations of gifts for the Raffle at this winter’s talks would be greatly appreciated.

Wednesday December 3rd.

An illustrated talk by Mr Steve Sutcliffe on St. Margarets and Caldey Islands. To commence at 7.30pm at the National Wetland Centre. Tea/coffee and biscuits to follow at £1.50 per head.

Saturday January 17th 2009

Whitford Burrows, Gower Peninsula. Time once more for out annual fix of Brent Geese, Slavonian Grebes etc.  Meet at Cwm Ivy Car Park at 9.00am.  Unfortunately this is the only suitable Saturday tide in Jan. and Feb. (10.37am) hence the need to meet a little earlier. It is hoped that we will again have the company of our friends from Gwent O.S.

It is our intention to hold another 2 indoor meetings during the months of Feb and March. Also if any members have suggestions for outdoor meetings for May June July or August please contact Wendell on  07912 577626.

We take this opportunity to thank Nigel Williams and staff of the National Wetlands Centre for the use of the building for our Indoor Meetings.

A day out in June. Our June trip was an opportunity to look at some Carmarthenshire habitats away from the popular birding sites. Sixteen members met at Ffairfach. The day started at an extensive shingle bank on the Tywi which yielded two county specialties, Little Ringed Plover (3) and Tree Sparrow as well as a pair of Common Sandpiper, breeding Sand Martins, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting. Next stop was Cennen Tower Wood, an area of young conifer plantation part way up Black Mountain. Bullfinch, Willow Warbler , Sedge Warbler, Stonechat and Blue Tit with fledged young were seen. On a short walk along the Ridgeway path through rough pasture with outcrops of rock and drystone walls we saw Wheatear, Skylark, Red Kite, Kestrel, Raven and plenty of Meadow Pipits and Linnets. The walk ended at Carreglwyd Wood, an interesting mixed plantation of immature trees, where the promised Redpolls showed - but only fleetingly. A pint at the Tregeyb Arms rounded off a pleasant day.

In July and August we had enjoyable trips to Pembrey Country Park to see Butterflies and Dragonflies and to Burry Port for an evening Tern watch. On both occasions the weather could have been better, but undeterred, we saw Dark Green and Silver Washed Fritillary, large numbers of Marbled White and Small Skippers and a few Emperor Dragonflies and Emerald Damselflies  in the Country Park. Eighteen members saw 80 Sandwich Terns and a mixed flock of 200 birds Dunlin and Ringed Plover.Also seen, Common Scoter, Peregrine and Kestrel.

Highlights for June

A Pectoral Sandpiper at Coedbach (29th) and an Arctic Skua at Salmon Scar (28th) were the star birds in an otherwise quiet month.

At WWT Llanelli the best bird was a male eclipse Garganey on the 15th.  An unusual visitor was a Cuckoo on the same day. The Black Headed gull colony raised upwards of 90 chicks and there were good numbers of breeding Gadwall, Shellduck and Pochard. Curlew numbers peaked at 136 and Black Tailed Godwit at 138.  There were a maximum of 7 Cettis Warblers and 16 Reed Warblers at the site.

Highlights for July

The star bird of the month was a short staying Pectoral Sandpiper found at Coedbach on the 3rd.Another good bird was a Turtle Dove from the Towy Sailing Club Llanstephan on the 24th. The most interesting of the Little Egret sightings was at Cilsan Bridge on the 25th with a juvenile presumed to have been raised in the Towy Valley. Green Sandpipers were also reported from Cilsan Bridge (25th and 27th) from Kidwelly Marsh (6th) and a Common Sandpiper from Dinefwr Ponds (29th).  Mediterranean Gulls were sighted at Coedbach, Pembrey and Sandy Water Park (all on the 6th) and at Burry Port on the 13th.

The Pwll area was something of a hot spot with 25 Great Crested Grebe (26th), and 30 Eider on the same day  Sixteen Gannet and 63 Sandwich Terns were seen (3rd) and 215 Manx Shearwater on the 10th.

Among the raptor sightings were Peregrine at St Ishmael (14th) and Bannau Sir Gaer (23rd) with an adult and two juvenile Peregrine at Pwll 26th. Hobbys  were at Coedbach (6th)  Pentrefelin (15th), Penclacwydd (28th) and a Goshawk at Taliaris (23rd).In the North of the County interesting birds included Lesser Redpoll at Cynghordy and Porthrhyd (4th and 17th), Nightjar at Porthrhyd also on the 17th, Winchat and Grasshopper Warbler at Cynghordy (4th) and a Crossbill at Salem on the

24th. A notable bird for this County was a Yellowhammer seen at Cynghordy on the 4th.

Welsh Ornithological Society

The W.O.S. are holding their Conference and A.G.M. on November 8th at the Education Centre, Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny. Registration is at 9.30am and the conference closes at 16.45pm. Cost is £20.00 per person and the closing date for applications 27th Oct 2008. More information and application forms are available on the website Welshos.org.uk. or from WOS, c/o RSPB, Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff.  CF11 9AB 

Interested in helping with Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS)?

Between September and March each winter, co-ordinated counts of non-breeding waterbirds are made at estuaries and inland sites throughout the UK.  Carmarthen Bay and its estuaries is a principal site for waders and, in winter, holds nationally important numbers of Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Golden Plover and Greenshank.

One or two more people are needed to help with WeBS counts in Carmarthenshire so that we can continue to cover all the important coastal and inland sites in the county.  If you are interested in counting for WeBS and can spare one day a month, please get in touch with me. Ian Hainsworth (local organiser for WeBS) 01792 205693 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Statement on Planning Application for Power Station at Coed Bach

The Carmarthenshire Bird Club is concerned that this proposal has no negative effects on the wetland areas around Kidwelly and in particular Coed Bach.

Coed Bach is one of the most important wetland areas in Carmarthenshire, so much so, that the club has talked to CCW, The Wildlife Trust and through Kidwelly Town Council about scheduling the area as a Local Nature Reserve. It is important for wetland species of birds some Nationally Important and some great rarities from Southern Europe and North America.  Otters also use the site and the adjacent valley.

We are most anxious to establish where the water is coming from to service the Power Station and what effect this might have on the valuable wetland areas already mentioned.

We also seek reassurance about rumours heared that timber to power the plant is being shipped from Portugal. If this is true it makes a mockery of claims that this project is "green" and sustainable.

The Carmarthenshire Bird Club has over 100 members and covers the whole county.  Its main function is to record the birds of the county and is therefore in a position to supply data of the importance of the Kidwelly area.

This statement has been agreed by John Lloyd- Chairman

The above was given to CBC members attending a public meeting and is an agreed position on the Planning Application.