Merthyr Tydfil & District Naturalist Society

Merthyr Tydfil & District Naturalist Society Nature, education, conservation and most importantly FUN with family and friends in nature! What is the Merthyr Tydfil and District Naturalists' Society?

The Society was formed in 1977 when a group of like-minded people came together to share their love of Natural History and the countryside.Renowned for its industrial heritage Merthyr Tydfil and the country side around give rise to a rich variety of natural habitats; a wide range of geological features; many fascinating reminders of our human pre-industrial presence and some rare and endangered sp

ecies including the Sorbus Leyana trees in Penmoelallt Community Woodland, some of the rarest trees in the world! The society is made up of people of all age-groups. Together we learn about all aspects of the natural world, enjoying the countryside on our doorstep and how to protect and nurture it. The Society wants to make sure that your children and your children’s children will be able to enjoy the ‘wild side’ of Merthyr Tydfil today and for years to come. What Do We Do? We look after 2 nature reserves:

· Cilsanws Nature Reserve, a limestone moorland

· Webber’s Pond, a disused colliery reservoir, now a managed habitat for wild life set in Gethin Woods. Through the spring and summer we visit places of interest, manage the reserves and hold educational fun days for all the family. During the autumn and winter we hold our educational fun days and meet to listen to presentations given by enthusiastic naturalists and scientists on a variety of fascinating wild life topics. We work to conserve our natural heritage, protect its biodiversity and develop countryside skills. Check out our Fb page for more details. We also run a community cooperative of bee keepers across the district and we are based in
The hive at the bothy , Cyfarthfa park

22/08/2026
Should be interesting with our bat detectors
09/08/2026

Should be interesting with our bat detectors

17/07/2026

CONGRATULATION! CONGRATULATIONS!
Yes! Double celebrations!
Congratulations to Merthyr NATS & every volunteer!

Not only has Merthyr Tydfil & District Naturalist Society been awarded a Green Flag award for the beautiful, Cilsanws Nature Reserve, another Green Flag was awarded for their lovely pollinator/bee garden in Cyfarthfa Park.
Merthyr Nats 'Bee Project' led by Sue Taylor, is well known around Merthyr Tydfil, especially as school children are involved & because of the fantastic, interactive, new immersive room 'Bee Experience' in the Orbit Business Centre.
A huge thank you goes to all the volunteers who help make this happen for Merthyr Tydfil & the pollinators here.

Photo of pupils & staff from Cyfarthfa High School at the bee garden with the Green Flag infront of the awesome mural by Tee2Sugars.

14/07/2026
14/07/2026
12/07/2026

Sweden once explored one of the strangest anti-litter ideas: training crows to pick up cigarette butts.

In Södertälje, near Stockholm, a startup called Corvid Cleaning designed a machine that could reward wild crows with food when they dropped cigarette filters into a collection slot. The idea was simple: if crows could learn that “butt in machine = snack,” they might help reduce one of the most common forms of street litter.

And the science behind the idea is not as crazy as it sounds.

Crows are famously intelligent. They can solve problems, remember human faces, learn from each other, and adapt quickly to city life. That makes them one of the few animals people have seriously considered for tasks like this.

But there is an important catch.

The Swedish crow-cleaning idea was a pilot/proposal, not a proven citywide solution. Later reporting and fact-checking suggest Södertälje did not fully roll it out, and similar “crow vending machine” ideas have often struggled in the real world because wild birds are independent, unpredictable, and usually have plenty of easier food sources.

Still, the concept remains fascinating.

It shows how creative urban cleanup ideas can combine technology, animal intelligence, and environmental problem-solving — even when nature refuses to behave like a machine.

08/07/2026

If you are interested in any of these events please email us

08/07/2026

Merthyr Tydfil is gaining national attention as a centre of excellence for pollinator and biodiversity education following a recent visit from senior representatives of the Welsh Beekeepers Association (WBKA).

16/04/2026

Address

The Hive Cafe
Merthyr Tydfil
CF478RE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Website

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