Bucket list tick!! This July I have been to the Welsh island of Skomer to photograph the puffins!! And I was blessed to be able to have such an exciting adventure in the company of one of my daughters. Such joy!
We set off from Devon on the long journey to Wales and yes, once again this summer, it was raining. After looking forward to it since Christmas. I was fearful that our trip would be a washout. We stayed over at a lovely pub The Ferry House Inn in Hazelbeach and after a delicious breakfast headed for Skomer Island. Renowned for its diverse wildlife, Skomer is located less than a mile off the coast of Pembrokeshire, surrounded by high dramatic cliffs. The island is a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is surrounded by a marine nature reserve. It hosts around half of the world's population of Manx shearwaters but for us the Atlantic puffins were the main attraction.
We drove down the narrow windy lanes reminiscent of our own in Devon, to the very tip of the peninsula and arrived at the car park at Martin's Haven in good time to meet up with Rachel from Pembrokeshire Moments, our guide for the day. Much to our delight the rain had stopped, although we had to put on several layers to keep ourselves warm!
A short walk and several steps down and we were ready to board, with the pleasure of seeing a grey seal playing in the water below:
Once on board the crowded boat for the short 15 minute ride to Skomer, the captain gave us a talk and I learnt so many things I didn't know about puffins. The ones on Skomer are Atlantic Puffins, part of the auk family and can live for over 20 years. They have just one puffling each breeding season which both parent birds care for. The puffins are on Skomer from May to August and then spend the rest of their time out at sea foraging in the Atlantic Ocean by diving into the waters.
Globally, puffins are classed as a vulnerable species. under threat due to climate change warming the seas, and affecting the availability of their key foods, herring and sand eels, and also overfishing by humans. But here on Skomer the number of puffins has risen by 10% since 2022 up to 42500 in 2023, partly because the island is surrounded by a Marine Conservation Zone and the waters are some of the most biodiverse in the UK. There are also no ground predators, such as rats, who could harm the pufflings, and so the puffins can be safe in their burrows under the ground.
As we approached the island, our excitement mounted and suddenly there were puffins all around us, both in the air and on the water! I was astonished to see so many and to note how small they were. On landing and after a steep climb up the steps we were greeted by a ranger who gave us a safety talk, emphasizing the need to stay on the paths and respect the wildlife - puffins have the right of way!!
There is a 6.5 kilometer walking trail around the island but under Rachel's guidance we first took the path across the middle of the island to the farmhouse so she could talk us through the settings for our cameras. Clearly an expert in both wildlife and photography, she soon inspired confidence in me that I would be able to get some good photos under her guidance.
We then headed to the Wick, a clifftop on the south western side of the island to try out her advice. And to our amazement, there were hordes of puffins there, with their burrows so close to the path that photographing them was delight!
They were just getting on with their daily lives while we stood agog!
Or trying to capture 'iconic' puffin images, which proved much more challenging than I expected. Here is just a small selection of my 'puffin portraits'!
I could not believe how close the puffins were and how tolerant they were of all these cameras being pointed at them. After I had taken a set, I put down my camera and spent some time watching them, reminding myself that I was there to learn about their behaviour, habitat and daily existence, not just to 'grab' what I wanted in terms of a photo. I then looked to find ways to catch some of these behaviours and relationships with each other:
They often waddled across the path in front of the waiting photographers to get to their burrows:
The puffins were also busy collecting food for their pufflings. We watched as they landed back on the cliff, their bills full of sandeels:
and here are more puffins portraits, this time with sandeels. I was so enjoying this experience!!
I am currently reading Phosphoresence by Julia Baird, and I was reminded of her words as I watched these puffins before me. First, pay attention, second, do not underestimate the power of the ordinary and third, seek awe and nature daily. I was experiencing genuine awe and wonder in this place, encountering anew something so familiar. Too often, Rachel Carson wrote, 'most of us walk unseeing through the world, unaware alike of its beauties, its wonders, and the strange and sometimes terrible intensity of the lives that are being lived around us'. Julia suggests that "It is good for us to stop and stare, as it makes us aware that we are part of a universe unfathomably larger than ourselves" and potentially makes us more aware of the needs of others. I also felt a confusing mix of sadness and anger that this fragile ecosystem was under threat by human activity - and that includes me, with my heavy carbon footprint. By seeking out this experience was I contributing more damage to the puffins' environment? Time to move on. Keep hold of the wonder.
After a snack we walked further around the island to North Cliff to photograph the birds in flight - which proved to be too much of a challenge for me! My lens was not long enough and even with Rachel telling me when a puffin was incoming and using continuous shooting mode I was not quick enough to get any decent photos:
I was content by this stage to watch and appreciate the speed of these little birds as they flew to and fro. As we explored the island further I also tried to capture some of the colour and the views:
On our walk back to the boat with our heads full of puffin moments we were amazed to see swallows swooping and diving across our path through the bracken. Another magical moment was hearing a noise when sat on the loo (yes, there are some compost toilets in the centre of the island) and realising that there was a swallow's nest in the corner of the ceiling above us, with baby swallows peeping out! Even more surprised when the parent bird flew in over our heads to feed them!
The 4 hour visit sped by and soon it was time to descend the steps to the boat for the return journey, sad to be leaving but taking wonderful memories home with us.
We spotted other birds nesting on the cliffs as we descended the steep steps and I realised there was so still more to experience. I understood why some people had booked to stay overnight in the farmhouse and others were coming back again the next day.
I found the trip to Skomer exceeded my expectations. To have such up-close and personal encounters with the puffins, and other wildlife, was joyful and will remain in my memories for years to come.
I was fascinated to learn more about puffins once I got back home. We were just a bit too early in the season to see any pufflings, but here is a video of the first one to emerge this year on Skomer, and another by BBC Nature of puffins on Farne Island, After hatching, the pufflings spend 40 days in their burrow, being fed by their parents who have to travel up to 30 miles a day to find food. The pufflings then walk to the sea where they will spend the next three years in the Atlantic Ocean, before coming back to same colony to breed year after year, usually with the same partner.
I was also interested to learn that in 2017 the RSPB asked people to send them their photos of puffins with food in their bills - to be Puffarazzis!. The RSPB then recruited a team of volunteer 'puffineers' to count the pictured prey species from the different colonies. Thanks to these 'citizen scientists' we now have a clearer picture of the relationship between the availability of food and the success (or not) of the colonies around our coasts.
Still, the RSPB warn that "Puffins are at risk of extinction from the UK as a breeding species. It’s predicted that their populations could plummet by 90% by 2050, with increasing sea temperatures and overfishing impacting the availability of their prey. The Revive our Seas report, published by the RSPB in 2021, clearly demonstrated the link between the decline in seabirds and the availability of sandeels. This year, we welcomed the news of a banning on industrial sandeel fishing in English North Sea and all Scottish waters. The passing of the ban proved that science-led campaigning can turn the tides to help to safeguard our seabirds."
And as for my conflicting emotions about whether there should be tourists on the island at all, our visits help to fund and promote the conservation work. The various protections in place are clearly helping to support the ecosystems on Skomer, an inspiring demonstration that we can all make a difference whether through campaigning, lobbying, donating or becoming citizen scientists. Experience the awe and wonder of our natural world, yes, but also fight for it's future.
I will finish with a huge thank you to my daughter for coming with me and indulging my passion for photography so patiently. I also want to say that Rachel from Pembrokeshire Moments was a joy throughout the day. I learnt so much about bird photography that I will take forward with me, as well as about puffins. It was Rachel's last workshop on Skomer for a while and I wish her every happiness in her future adventures. Please visit her website for a lovely range of puffin-themed gifts.
#Skomer; #Pembrokeshire; #Wales; #puffin; #puffling; #puffinsinburrows; #puffinswithsandeels; #pembrokeshiremoments; #nestingswallows; #canon; #bucketlisttick!
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