About Glamorgan Bird Club

Enjoying & conserving local birdlife

As the home page says, the Club was formed in 1989, emerging from the Ornithological section of the Cardiff Naturalists Society. We’re dedicated to the enjoyment, study and conservation of the bird life in this part of South Wales and we aim to cater for the needs of all birdwatchers in the area, and membership is open to all and ranges from beginners and back-garden birdwatchers to those who are professionally involved in conservation. Our common interest is the enjoyment of birds.

We encourage all our members to follow the Birdwatcher’s Code

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For many years the logo on the right was the logo of The Glamorgan Bird Club. Possibly not obvious to many younger birders now, this is a Little Whimbrel, a first for the UK which turned up at Kenfig way back in 1982, and gave rise to a BIG twitch for the time. Subsequent to the change of charitable status of the Club to Glamorgan Bird Club CIO [see below] is was felt that a ‘re-branding’ was appropriate, and the new logo featuring the albeit common Wheatear was chosen and designed. This was chosen as being the species that often arrives along our coast and marks the arrival of spring, breeds in our upland areas, and is often seen along our coast as it departs, marking the arrival of autumn.

The Club became a registered charity in June 2009, but is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation or CIO [see below], and the membership is usually about 300. Click here for our constitution.
We are keen to bring the enjoyment of bird watching to as many people as possible, whatever their level of knowledge. Within the membership are a good number of very experienced bird watchers who are able to provide valuable help and advice to the less experienced amongst us.

Each quarter, members receive a newsletter keeping them informed about the activities of the club – (you can see some past editions {by clicking here}.

Events

There are regular indoor meetings on a wide range of subjects. These are designed both to entertain and inform the membership. We also run monthly field trips to well-known bird watching spots both within and outside Glamorgan. Led by some of our more experienced members, they are very popular, and the latter gives access to birds that are not normally to be found in the Glamorgan area. A monthly walk takes place at Kenfig National Nature Reserve. Click here to see a list of all the birds ever seen on Club trips [as far as memory and records permit!] – there are 279 of them!!

Some current and past GBC members have gone on birding trips farther afield. You may be interested in the trip records/reports if you are considering visiting those places – they can be found here under ‘Glamorgan Bird Club members ‘small group’ trips’. These have produced an impressive list of 394 species seen – click here to see. GBC cannot of course vouch for any of the site and accommodation information being up to date.

The club is actively involved in conservation and survey work such as WeBS counts and BBS surveys. We have been involved in providing information to planning bodies, local authorities and the like. As such, we are in a position to lobby such bodies in the interests of the bird life of the area.

Charitable status

Glamorgan Bird Club is now a Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation no: 1177991

The conversion to a CIO was approved by members at the 2018 AGM as was  the transfer of the assets (after the settlement of its proper debts and liabilities) of The Glamorgan Bird Club to Glamorgan Bird Club Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), following its registration with the Charity Commission, and to dissolve The Glamorgan Bird Club.

As a charity, GBC is managed and run by a committee of from 9 to 12 trustees. Between them they take on a variety of roles such as Chair, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, indoor meetings and trip organisers, or leading a specific sub-group such as ‘Donations and Sponsorship’.