We have planned our next ‘Walk For Women’ to be on Sunday 19th May  at Kenfig NNR. Meet by the centre at 10 a.m. We plan to be out for a couple of hours, but sometimes overrun – we don’t rush. Folk are welcome to leave anytime of course. There are toilets, the cafe is outside – so we’re hoping for a warm day! We have to pay for parking when we leave, card only. Dry (we hope) sandy paths. As with all GBC walks, we ask folk not to bring dogs. We can lend you binoculars if you need them. As always, let us know if you plan to come anytime up till the evening before, so that we know to wait for you – Jean Haslam – haslamj@talktalk.net : Strinda Davies – daviesstrinda@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who attended last night’s AGM. Chair Jean reported in full, the active year we’ve had in all the projects and activities we’re involved with. We’re all now set for yet another year. We are fortunate that we now have a Treasurer to replace our retiring treasurer Ceri Jones, who has done a sterling job over the last 3 years – many thanks Ceri. He is replaced by club member Tim Adcock who has stepped up to the oche at the last minute, so for the moment he is co-opted onto the committee, as his offering his services came too late to be included as a nominee in the official AGM notice. Anyway many thanks Tim, and welcome! We also welcomed another member, John Duffy, who stepped forward to become a Trustee. Welcome John! Also we say adieu to retiring trustee John Western, so thanks John for your input and work whilst you were with us.
The evening was rounded off by an enjoyable quizz devised by Alan Rosney.

Interesting display in Pyle Library (managed by Awen Trust) for the next few weeks, raising awareness of Swifts with the aim of inspiring local people to help them. Created as part of GBC’s Glamorgan Swifts project, with considerable input from Porthcawl Swifts. 
As well as groups of local residents and a number of churches across east Glamorgan, GBC has the support of Bridgend Local Nature Partnership and Bridgend County Council’s Biodiversity team. We are working closely with Porthcawl Town Council  and Pyle Community Council (includes Kenfig Hill). Links are being developed with Bridgend Town Council, Cornelly and Laleston Community Councils. 
Get in touch with us (or ‘Strinda Davies or Alan Rosney‘) if you would like to help.

A request from your committee. Can you help GBC to function in 2024-2025 by taking on the essential role of Treasurer, as our current treasurer Ceri Jones, retires at the upcoming AGM. Both members and non-mebers are welcome. If it’s not for you perhaps you could spread the word, or put someone in touch if you know anybody with a financial background who would be willing. Ceri is obviously on hand to give guidance.

Re the AGM, watch out for the notice with full details, which will be published here and linked to from Facebook and ‘X’.

There’s a live indoor meeting on Tuesday next week, 5th March at 7:30  p.m. Club member & trustee Paul Denning will be giving an illustrated talk on “The Wildlife of Crete”. Paul’s wildlife interests are broad so this will cover a lot more than just birds.
The venue is Pencoed Rugby Club which is in Felindre Road on the left shortly after turning left at the first roundabout on the A473 after leaving the M4 northbound from J.35. The post code is CF35 5PB.

There’s good news to share about the breeding Swift colonies of Pyle & Kenfig Hill and Porthcawl and for local residents who want to help them. GBC Trustees, a club member and a local swift champion have been working with Pyle Community and Porthcawl Town Councils for the past couple of years, resulting in each of them declaring their communities and the town “swift friendly”.
With support from Bridgend Local Nature Partnership, and particularly Bridgend County Borough Council’s Biodiversity team, funding from Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature scheme has been secured. This means anyone living in Pyle, Kenfig Hill or Porthcawl (in the streets where swifts are known to breed) can have a swift nest box and its installation, at no cost.
If you, or anyone you know, lives in the above areas and might be interested in this offer, get in touch with the rCouncil Clerk named on each leaflet dispoayed below. If you wish to download a copy click this link. Then you’ll be on your first step to helping swifts (unless you already are!).
Maybe you can spare some time to help out either of these projects, especially if you live in or near Pyle, Kenfig Hill or Porthcawl. Why wait any longer? Get in touch with Strinda Davies and you’ll be given a warm welcome.
Advice on how to make your community ‘swift friendly’ (if you are fortunate to have them, as they’re not to be found everywhere) is on offer from the club. Strinda Davies and Mary Gallagher have recently started helping a Bridgend town resident conserve the swifts breeding along the river. Could you be next?”
PS click the image below to display a larger view.

There’s a field trip to Forest of Dean next week, on Thurs 29th Feb. Meet 10 a.m. in the New Fancy View car park north of Parkend. Follow the B4231 up from Lydney then head north to where indicated on the map. The car park is on the right about 500m after you turn left off the road that runs up from Parkend.
As usual, please let me know if you intend coming. I am unlikely to do any pickups from St Margaret’s Road due to traffic between Penarth and there. John Wilson – johndw1948 at gmail dot com

As usual we hope for Goshawk & Hawfinch, Marsh Tit, Mandarin and dare I say Lesser Spotted Woodpecker? Haven’t had one there for years……

Tomorrow’s trip to Newton Pt. Just a heads up if you were thinking of coming and not let me know [or indeed even if you have], in view of the dire forecast for tomorrow, we’ve decided to cancel the trip. John W

There’s a local field trip on Thursday 15th next week, to Newton Point near Porthcawl, the main aim to see roosting waders, hopefully including Purple Sandpipers.
High tide is either side of 10 a.m. so I suggest meeting up at 9, or as close to that as traffic allows. The meet point is on Beach Road, which starts at the green in the middle of Newton village. The double yellow lines do not have effect in winter so you can park all the way along to the far end, away from the houses. I don’t envisage this being an all day trip. Please let me know if you intend coming. johndw1948 at gmail dot com

We have a live indoor meeting on Tuesday next week, 6th Feb, at Pencoed Rugby Club starting at 7:30 p.m. Club Member Paul Bowden will be givng an illustrated talk entitled “Birding in Colombia: Eastern Andes & Magdalena Valley“. Given the huge variety of bird life in the neotropics, it should be a good one.
If you haven’t been to the venue before, it’s in Felindre Road, Pencoed, just up from the roundabout on the A473. Leave M4 at J.35, head north and take the 1st exit at the first roundabout. It’s then a short way along on your left.

Due to several failures on my part, the meet time and place were never specified. Meet 2:30 p.m. at the spot circled in red on the map below. I know it’s very 11th hour but if you intend coming please let me know – johndw1948 at gmail dot com.
NB note the amended meet time of 2:30 p.m.

John Wilson here: before I depart for a week in Norfolk on Weds there are TWO upcoming GBC events to notify members of so plse read the whole of this post:
1. Sat 6th Jan – a field trip to Whiteford Point on Gower, for sea ducks, geese poss diver[s] and grebe[s]. High tide is from approx 12:30 to 2 so meet at the Cwm Ivy car park at 10:00 for a slow walk out. As I am away Alan Rosney has kindly agreed to lead this one but he will need a co-leader so he’ll be looking for s/o to volunteer on the day. Please let Alan know if you intend coming – he’s on alanrosney at gmail dot com. Plse don’t email me. The usual follow on visit to Llanridian has been postponed to 28th Jan due to a clash with GOS and the limited parking on Marsh Rd. Also given the tide time at Whiteford we’d be pushing it to get to Llanridian in good time. The walk out to Whiteford is likely to be very muddy.
2. On Tues 9th Jan there’s an ‘in person’ i.e. ‘live’ indoor meeting which will be a review of the highlights of 2023 given by Club member Tate Lloyd. It’s at 7:30 p.m. at Pencoed Rugby club which is just off J.35 of the M4, in Felindre Road, CF35 5PB. Alan has devised a devilish quizz.
NB plse note an edit in the above – Llanridian is now 28th rather than 21st as 21st is the date for the BTO WinGS winter gull roost survey whiich some members have signed up for.

Thanks to Dave Carrington who has sent me the Kenfig Ringing Group report for 2022, compiled and authored mainly by Colin Baker. It summarises ringing activities at KNNR itself, Ty’n-y-Caeau Farm near Monkton and also Dave’s Nottage – Porthcawl garden. Altogether fifteen folk were involved. Click here to see a pdf of the report [opens in new tab].

There’s a scheduled trip to Penclacwydd WWT for Tues 5th Dec but as it’s the same day as the live indoor meeting that was announced in the previous post, it has been decided to postone the Llanelli [Penclacwydd] trip to Thursday instead.
So, there’s a trip to Penclacwydd WWT reserve on Thurs 7th Dec. I suggest meeting at the reserve car park at 10 a.m. or as near as possible.There an approx £10 admission charge for non WWT members. No pick up from St Marg’s Rd [it’s too difficult on weekdays]. Plse let me know if you intend coming. John Wilson – johndw1948 at gmail dot com.

A heads up that there’s a live indoor meeting on Tus next week 5th Dec, at Kenfig Reserve centre.
Peter Morgan of Cardiff, a long standing GBC member and well know bird ringer, will be giving us a talk on 45 years of ringing at Kenfig National Nature Reserve. Those who have been on the GBC Portland weekend trips will know Peter, who spends spring and autumn there.
The start time is 7:30 p.m. and be aware that there are car parking charges via an ANPR camera system, so you pay when you leave. The max charge is £4. Basically it’s £1 for 90 mins, £2 for 3 hours or £4 over that. Edit: payment is by card only

For the second of our newly introduced walks for women, there is one planned for Sun 3rd Dec at Cosmeston Lakes CP 10:00 to 12:00. There are parking charges [contactless or cash]. Coffee & optional cakes at the cafe afterwards. Please let Jean Haslam – haslamj@talktalk.net – know if you intend coming. More detail about these walks on this page.

ALERT – there’s info below about the Bristol ULEZ zone for which fees are payable if your vehicle is non-compliant. The zone is entered if you use the A4 Avon Gorge route.

A reminder that there’s a fied trip on Sunday next w/e [26th Nov] to Chew Valley Lake which many will know – basically a very large reservoir south of Bristol, good for wildfowl.
Unfortunately I am away visiting family in Derbyshire, so Alan Rosney has kindly agreed to be the leader. Please contact Alan alanrosney@gmail.com and not myself.
The arrangement is to meet at the long Heron’s Green layby on the B3114 which runs south from Chew Stoke village at 10:15 to 10:30. Heron’s Green is a viewing point on the west side of the lake.
Click here to see a map. The GR is ST551604.
To use any of the hides a permit is required – it is a complex business trying to get one and last year we didn’t bother as you can purchase them from a ranger if you meet one. In fact last year we didn’t use any of the hides. One which has been good in the past [Stratford] will be no good as the water levels are bound to be far too high. Another we have used in the past we found doesn’t exist any more.
Any further queries please get in touch with Alan.
John Wilson
PS IMPORTANT info re the Bristol ULEZ [Low eimissions] zone. If your vehicle is non-compliant it’s £9 per day for each entry and there’s a hefty fine if it’s not paid promptly [£120 reduced to £60 if paid within a few weeks.] So, best route I use is to join the southbound M5 and come off at Gordano services J.19 [ the first one you neet] and then the simplest route is to follow the A369 Martcombe Road [1st exit at the rbt after you come off the M5] until it reaches the A370. You then go west on the A370 and at the next big roundabout take Colliters Way which is a new link road that takes you down to the A38. This route avoids the OLEZ zone. There’s also a wiggly cross country route from Gordano to Barrow Gurney, but it’s too involved to explain to people. The junction of the A360 with the A370 is complicated. SIgns are for Bristol Airport and A370 but there’s plan below annotated with arrows – you can see how it is easy to take the wrong route. Once on the A370 continue to a main roundabout and take the A4174 1st exit ~ Colliters Way – which leads down to the A38.

Congratulations to long standing GBC member & trustee John Wilson, on receiving a WOS Lifetime Achievement Award at the WOS conference last w/e. Your fellow trustees consider this to be so very well deserved, not least for your 24 year stint as EGBR Editor and for all your hard work for GBC and for birding in East Glam. Llongyfarchiadau!!

Attention gull-o-philes, or to be posh, larophiles! The British Trust for Ornithology are relaunching the Winter Gull Roost Survey after a gap of 20 years. They are looking for volunteers that enjoy counting gulls at roost and that are interested in collecting wintering gull data. This information will aid in vital monitoring efforts to assess population changes and provide data for the designation of protected wintering sites.

The survey will involve visits to key gull roosts and random samples across inland and coastal sites in January. Supplementary count data at key roost sites in Autumn is also encouraged to monitor seasonal differences in gull numbers.

Here is a link to the Vacant Site Map where you can find available sites in your area.

For more information and to sign up for the survey please visit https://www.bto.org/wings. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact wings@bto.org.