22 April 2009
Have you ever heard the sounds of a reed warbler singing through the dawn on a spring morning? Would you like to get up with the lark? Join our centre manager Nigel Williams on a dawn chorus walk at WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, helping visitors to listen and identify the birdsong of native wetland birds as dawn breaks over the Burry Inlet.
The tour will run at 6 am on Saturday 2 May and visitors must book ahead to secure their place on a tour. The tour will run for around one hour and afterwards a full cooked breakfast will be served in the estuary café. The centre has participated in the dawn chorus event for a number of years and regular visitors and members eagerly anticipate the early morning openings because of the fantastic bird watching opportunities it gives them
The Millennium Wetlands are 220 acres of WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, and are an exceptional bird-watching site with hundreds of native species using the ponds and lagoons. Visitors will get a tour of the Millennium Wetlands with Nigel, who has a wealth of knowledge on wetland birds and will be pointing out the bird calls and species to look out for. “This is an excellent time to hone your listening skills, and sharpen your bird call repertoire. If you’re a beginner, now is the time to find out what songs belong to what species,” Mr. Williams said.
“Every year at the beginning of spring male birds put on an incredible performance looking to attract a female,” continues Nigel Williams, centre manager. “At this time of year, birdwatchers can expect to see and hear many species of birds on the reserve, including warblers (such as black cap, reed and sedge warblers, chiffchaff, and lesser white throat) chaffinch, and dunnocks.”
Binoculars will be available to hire on the morning, and visitors that have booked ahead will have access to the site immediately after their tour and breakfast. The dawn chorus guided walk begins at 6 am, Saturday 2 May and costs £10 per person which includes breakfast. Full cooked breakfast will be served after the tour; vegetarian option for breakfast is available. Booking is essential, please call the centre on 01554 741 087 to make your reservation.
WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, Llanelli is open every day from 9.30 am to 5 pm (grounds open until 6 pm in the summer) and parking is free of charge. It can be found 2 miles east of Llanelli off the A484 to Swansea . Follow the brown duck signs off the M4, J48. Nearest railway station is Llanelli. Visit the web site www.wwt.org.uk/visit/llanelli/ to find out what’s on all year round at WWT National Wetland Centre Wales and the other eight centres.