You can now follow the events on Skomer Island through our blog, this will be kept up to date with the latest news and sightings by the staff and researchers that live and work on the island. Simply go to our blogspot to see what has been happening, you can even sign up to have the updates sent to you automatically. You can also follow the adventures of Pertwee Puffin, please click here to follow his Twitter page!
Puffin with fish - D. Boyle
We are in the full swing of the seabird breeding season on Skomer. The first Puffin carrying fish down its burrow to feed its newly hatched chick was seen on 24 May. At the moment the puffins are bringing in good numbers of small Sand Eels to feed to their small chicks, this is an encouraging sign as at other colonies in Scotland and northern England the Puffins have struggled to find enough fish to feed their young. Counts of the Puffins on Skomer seem to be indicating a slight rise in population over the last five years, the population estimate for 2009 is 13500 individuals.
The first Guillemot chicks were seen on 26 May and the adults can be seen bringing in single fish to feed to their well-guarded chick, if you are very lucky you may get a glimpse of the spiky chick. The first Razorbill chick was seen a few days later on 1 June. Kittiwakes have been busy nest-building and are now incubating their eggs and the rest of the Gulls are busy feeding their fast growing chicks. The Short-eared Owls have also been busy hunting for Skomer Voles to feed to their chicks, Curlew chicks have been sighted amongst the tall grasses of Calves Park and the adults have been busy defensively chasing off any passing Gulls or Jackdaws.
Guillemot chick – D. Boyle
With all this activity the staff have been busy carrying out bird counts and monitoring the breeding season. Counts of all the Lesser Black-backed Gulls were carried out in mid May with the help of volunteers, as well as counts of Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls. Counts of all the cliff-nesting birds (Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars) have begun and in the first two weeks of June staff will count nearly 25000 individual birds! Tessa, our Seabird Field Assistant, has been out every day come rain, wind or shine studying the Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars. She follows a sample of the birds through their breeding season to ascertain how successful they are being.
As well as the seabirds to get excited about there have been a couple of sighitngs of interesting migrants, in particular a Golden Oriole on 14 & 15 May, a Laughing Gull flying over on 21 May and two Spoonbills flying over on 23 May (one was also seen on Skokholm on 1 June). For a full report on the birds and other wildlife sighted on the island in May and what is expected in June please visit http://www.welshwildlife.org/birdandwildlifereports_en.link
All these fabulous birds and some spells of glorious weather has meant that lots of people have been keen to visit the island. As well as full quotas of day visitors we have welcomed two film crews, several school trips and one VIP, Rhodri Morgan the First Minister for Wales visited the island to see the Puffins and to celebrate the completion of the Skomer Island Heritage Project and the 50th anniversary of the island being designated a National Nature Reserve.