Forthcoming Events

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Butterflies, dragonflies and birds at Pembrey Country Park.  Last year’s visit proved to be very popular.

17 species of butterfly were seen including Silver Washed, Dark Green, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Marbled White and Small Blue together with dragonflies and damselflies.

Meet in car park on left prior to entrance to Country Park at 9.30am.

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Last year, an excellent turn out of 19 members attended the Tern watch at Burry Port and were not disappointed with the number of Terns, Gulls and Waders seen.  We will repeat the visit and hope for the same success.  Meet at the free car park by  Shoreline Caravan Park which is situated between the Burry Port and Pembrey Harbours @ 6.15pm.

Monday, 12 September 2011

High tide watch at National Wetlands Centre, Penclacwydd.  Entrance fee £4.50 including coffee/tea and biscuits.  Meet @ 6pm.  High tide is @ 7.16pm.

Any queries or doubts about weather contact Wendell on 07912577626

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING to be held at the National Wetlands Centre, Penclacwydd to commence at 7.30pm.  Following the AGM  there will be an illustrated talk on “The Wildlife of South West Alberta” by former Club Chairman Mr Derek Moore OBE.  Coffee/tea and biscuits to follow at £1.70 per person.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

The Club is delighted to welcome back as guest speaker Mr Nigel McCall of Carmarthen.  His talk on this occasion will be about his visit to the Falkland Islands last year.  Venue as usual will be the National Wetlands Centre, Penclacwydd to commence at 7.30pm.  Coffee/tea and biscuits to follow at £1.70 per person.

As usual any donations of prizes for the Raffle will be greatly appreciated.

Our thanks go to the Management and Staff at Penclacwydd for the use of the building for our indoor meetings.

You may have missed –

Wednesday 16 March 2011 – Illustrated talk on “Bird of Carmarthenshire”

Club Chairman Rob Hunt gave a talk and showed us lots of slides of photographs he had taken and collated from other photographers from the Club.  Thank you Rob for reminding us of the diversity of bird species we get in Carmarthenshire and rarities such as Blue Winged Teal and Glossy Ibis.

Saturday 30 April 2011 - RSPB Dinas

16 members met in the car park to the reserve on a sunny but windy morning.  From the car park we were delighted by a Redstart that was singing and displaying himself for all to see.  Along the boardwalk we saw Pied Flycatchers and more Redstarts.  Further on male and female Goosander were sunning themselves on a boulder in the river; some of us were lucky to have sightings of Dipper on the river as well.  Whilst having lunch back at the picnic area we were treated to wonderful views of a singing Pied Flycatcher and a Nuthatch was helping itself to food on the bird table.  After lunch we back tracked along the boardwalk where a Garden Warbler was in full view for everyone to see.  We then walked along the roadside part of the reserve and were rewarded by Wood Warblers (one of which was singing not 12’ above us) and Tree Creeper.  We heard Tree Pipits but none were showing due to the strengthening wind; we also heard cuckoos and some of us had a brief glimpse of one as it flew through the trees.  Some of us then went to look for Yellow Hammers up the road leading to Llyn Brianne.  Yellow Hammers were heard and seen also Meadow Pipits and Wheatear.

37 species were recorded.

Saturday 21 May 2011 - Pal y Cwrt & Llygad Llwchwr

12 members braved the blustery conditions at Pal y Cwrt but were rewarded with a sighting of a cuckoo, a family of stonechats, skylarks, reed buntings and wheatears.  Near the the bifurcation of the Loughor and the Cennen a Redstart was spotted.  Higher up passed Pal y Cwrt we were treated to good views of a male and female cuckoo who were both calling to each other.

Seven members then retired to the H/Q of the Ivy Bush Ornithological Society for welcome refreshments.

Thank you Martin for leading the walk in this very interesting part of the County.  25 species were recorded for the day.

Over the page is an account of Julie’s trip to Poland in May.  If any one has any interesting birding articles etc they would like to be added to the Newsletter please contact me by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Trip to Poland 10 – 16 May 2011 by Julie Evans

I have just got back from a six day bird watching trip to Poland and thought you might like to hear about it.

This trip was arranged through the Bristol Ornithological Club.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Departed from Bristol airport at 6.30am on Tuesday; the flight was approximately 2½ hrs.  We flew into Krakow airport which is a small but very well organised airport.  Our guide Mickel together with a minibus and trailer for all our luggage where waiting for us and took us straight to our hotel (pension) in a small village called Trybsz near the Pieniny mountains. 

The birding began in earnest even as we stepped out of the bus at the pension ; there in a tree in the garden were breeding Fieldfare in their lovely summer plumage, and a singing Black Redstart in a tree - what a start! 

 (Black Redstart)

We unpacked, had lunch and then travelled to the Pieniny National Park.  On the way we travelled along the Dunajec River and saw Caspian Gulls, Black Storks and White Storks.

(View of Dunajec River)

Climbing up through the gorge near the summit called the Three Crowns there were many Winchats and I spotted my first Lesser Spotted Eagle of the trip.  The views of the distant snow capped Tatra Mountains were stunning.  There were many butterflies here as well: Scarce Swallowtail, Orange Tip and Camberwell Beauty.  On the way back to the pension we had another fabulous view of a Lesser Spotted Eagle perched in a tree.

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Before breakfast some of us had a walk around the village. As we left the pension we found across the road a Fieldfare nesting in a tree, Skylarks, Swallows, Grey Wagtail and Starlings (the Polish people all seem to put up boxes for Starlings in their gardens so there was a lot of activity as the Starlings were all busy feeding and raising young); we were delighted with an Ictrine Warbler which was singing beautifully in a willow tree, more Black Redstarts (they were every where), Redstarts, Swifts, Winchats, Willow Warblers, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Yellowhammer.

 (Ictrine Warbler)

Our Guide for the rest of the week Felix then joined us and after breakfast we travelled to another part of the Pieniny NP.  We had wonderful views of Ring Ouzels, one was perched on the top of fir tree singing.  Again there were plenty of Yellowhammers, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Chiff Chaff and Cuckoos.  We moved more into the forest and here we had views of a Grey Headed Woodpecker and a Black Woodpecker. 

 (Black Woodpecker)

After lunch a Red Breasted Flycatcher was sighted.  We came across a pond which was full of Carpathian and Alpine Newts.  A bit further on down the track Beavers had been busy cutting down trees to make their lodge and a dam across the stream.  We had sights of two more Lesser Spotted Eagles, Raven and White Stork.

Thursday, 12 May 2011

Opened the curtains this morning and was confronted by a Lesser Whitethroat singing in the tree opposite my bedroom.  Good start to the day I thought!

Travelled to another area in the Pieniny NP called Wbzar where there were Yellowhammers, Winchat, Tree Pipit, Stonechat and Linnet.  We had a wonderful view of a juvenile Goshawk.  A Barred Warbler was teasing us with his call from the middle of some brambles but no matter how long we stood and watched, it wouldn’t show itself.  There were more Scare Swallowtail, Brimstone and Dingy Skipper butterflies. 

In the afternoon we travelled to Haluszuwa, which is a forest area of the National Park.  The highlight in this area was a Hazel Hen (or Hazel Grouse).  We heard it calling first of all, which altered us to its presence it then flew right up above us so we were able to get a fleeting glance of it as it flew away into the distance.  It still kept calling and we think it was following us for a while.

 (Hazel Hen)

In the evening after dinner we walked around the village again where we saw Black Redstarts on many of the houses and buildings.  At the bottom of the village there is a stream where the Ictrine Warbler was still singing in the same tree as the first morning we arrived.  A fledgling Fieldfare was being fed by one of its parent’s and I found a pair of Spotted Flycatchers who were busy collecting nesting material.  On a road leading out of the village we heard at least three Grasshopper Warblers calling.  

Friday, 13 May 2011

We travelled to the Tetra NP a World Biosphere Reserve, which is just outside Zakopane a pretty old town with wooden houses, built in the highlander style.

We walked up one of the valleys in the western limestone part of the Tatra Mountains.  The birds we saw here were Ring Ouzels, countless Dippers and Grey Wagtails on the river running along side the track.  The scenery here was absolutely stunning.  Some of the party did some rock climbing with the guide and for their efforts managed to see fleeting glimpses of Wall Creepers and a Golden Eagle.  I didn’t attempt the climb myself as it had just stopped raining and the rocks were very slippery.  However, the members of the party who didn’t attempt the climb were rewarded with views of a Peregrine, Raven and Sparrowhawk. The damp conditions brought out some very pretty Blue Slugs.

 (Blue Slug)

In the afternoon we travelled in a cable car to the top of Kasprowy Wierch high above the clouds (1,987m) where quite tame Alpine Accentors greeted us together with Water Pipits.

Saturday, 14 May 2011

In the morning we visited the Orawa Peat Bogs and where we were delighted with Ictrine Warbler, White Stork, Skylark, Fieldfare, Sparrowhawk, Yellow Wagtail, Marsh Harriers, Great Grey Shrike, Montague Harriers, Snipe, Winchat and Tree Pipit to name but a few. 

After the Peat Bogs we visited Orawa Lake where the stars of the show were: Lesser Spotted Eagle, Citrine Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff. Corncrake and Garden Warbler were heard. 

Later on we travelled back to the one of the forest in the Pieniny Mountains and after a steady climb were rewarded with fantastic views of a pair of Nutcrackers.

  (Nutcracker)

Sunday, 15 May 2011

We packed up our bags and left Trybsz and travelled to Zator.  From here we explored the fishponds system which were created by monks in the middle ages and today are an important area for wetland birds and excellent for birdwatching.  Here we saw Night Heron, Caspian Gull, Common Gull, Black Necked Grebe, Great Reed Warbler, Common Tern, Spotted Redshank, Garganey and Whiskered Tern.  Many Bitterns were booming and I lost count of the sightings and calling of cuckoos.  Penduline Tits were tracked down and we also found a nesting pair and saw the nest hanging from a willow tree just above one of the ponds.

   (Penduline Tit Nest)

Monday, 17 May 2011

Monday morning saw us travelling to the airport; here I had one last glimpse of a Black Redstart on the airport roof.  I think he was saying goodbye, see you soon! 

138 species were counted in total.