Skomer Island, located of the coast of Pembrokeshire, is an internationally important seabird island. Every year, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) undertake their annual count to monitor the population of Puffins that return to the island every spring to breed.

“After the tragic number of seabirds washing up on beaches across southern Europe earlier this year, we weren’t expecting a count this high this season. It’s a very pleasant surprise to see the Puffin population thriving.” said Leighton Newman, Skomer Island Warden for WTSWW.

What Puffin counting actually involves

Puffin counting may sound like an easy job, but with over 50,000, it’s no mean feat. Every spring, the Skomer team set out on a calm, clear evening with binoculars and notepad in hand to count every single Puffin on land, in the sky and at sea. The island is broken up into seven sections, and the team must work against the clock and the elements to make sure they have accounted for every single Puffin. Timing is key – too early in the season and the bulk of birds won’t have returned, too late and they’ll be settled on eggs in their burrows. And there’s method to the Puffin madness – they use the same method today that the wardens have used since the 1980s. This means they can compare over 40 years of Puffin population data.

What else do they count?

It’s not just Puffins that the team count. Long-term monitoring work is a core part of the conservation work on Skomer Island. Every summer, the team conducts boat-based surveys to record the number of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars breeding on the cliffs around the island. With the help of volunteers and researchers, they also monitor Manx Shearwaters, reptiles, marine mammals and the endemic Skomer Vole.

Why count Puffins - why is this data important?

Long-term monitoring helps us to better understand how seabird populations are changing and can sound alarm bells when something goes wrong.

Seabirds are facing a myriad of threats on land and at sea, from pollution and invasive predators to Avian Influenza and offshore renewable development. Globally, they are one the fastest declining family of birds.

“Puffin numbers are declining at many sites around the UK, but Skomer bucks the trend – and it’s thanks to long-term monitoring work that we know this. It’s special that Skomer is a refuge for so many seabirds and it’s a privilege to be able to work to protect them, but we want to see seabird populations thriving across the UK.” continued Newman.

The increase in Skomer Island’s Puffin population is likely linked to the abundance of food in the wider area, meaning there is plenty of fish for chicks resulting in high breeding success, as well as good adult survival over winter. The absence of rats and other predators on the island has undoubtably contributed to the success of seabird populations on Skomer. 

What do they do with the data?

The Trust’s annual counts allow them to get an accurate picture of how seabirds are faring to better inform their work to protect them. They submit their counts to a national dataset used by decision makers to inform important seabird conservation strategies, nationally and globally. The data is also available to academics to encourage further research and greater protection.

Securing the future for our seabirds

This year, the charity are asking wildlife lovers to support their Big Give appeal, running from midday 22nd to 29th April, to raise £40,000 to fund their essential seabird monitoring work on Skomer.