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Wildlife And History Of Skomer Island

Find out all about the wildlife of Skomer Island - one of the most important seabird sites in southern Britain. Its maritime grassland, lush inland vegetation, bubbling streams and man-made ponds support a host of wildlife including Atlantic Puffins, Manx Shearwaters, Guillemots, Razorbills, Skomer Voles and much more.

Please note, Puffins start arriving in mid-April. They are present from May-July. The first ones start leaving in mid-July and all Puffins are gone by the end of July.
Species

Notch-horned cleg-fly (horse fly)

The Notch-horned cleg-fly isa horse fly dark grey in colour, with grey-brown mottled wings and intricately striped, iridescent eyes. There are 30 species of horse-fly in the UK; this is one of the…

My Wild Life

My regeneration

30 years ago, if Jeremy had fallen in the river then he’d have been more worried about being poisoned than drowned! A 1980s trawl survey found just one fish in the Billingham reach of the Tees,…

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Skomer Island Day Trips

Only a 20 minute boat trip from the mainland, Skomer is an excellent place for a daytime adventure. Bursting with seabirds including our Atlantic Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills, this National Nature Reserve is one of Britain's most important seabird colonies. It is peaceful and wild at all times of year - there's so much to see and explore.

Please note, Puffins start arriving in mid-April. They are present from May-July. The first ones start leaving in mid-July and all Puffins are gone by the end of July. Please see our seasonal timeline below for what to see each month.
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Harbour Porpoise

sometimes referred to as a “puffing pig” due to the noise they make when they breathe, porpoises differ from dolphins mainly by their shape and the smaller size of their body and dorsal fin.
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Mice to meet you!

Mammal expert Stuart Edmunds introduces the four species of mice you can see in the UK.

Species

Field cow-wheat

Once widespread, this attractive plant has declined as a result of modern agricultural practices and is now only found in four sites in South East England.

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Red squirrels

There are two species of squirrel in the UK; red squirrels and grey squirrels. Red squirrels are our native species and have lived in the UK for around 10,000 years, Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from North America by the Victorians in the 1800s, the first record of them escaping and establishing a wild population is 1876.
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Skomer Biosecurity Update 30/01/2023

We have been trying to get out to Skomer for nearly six weeks, to follow up the Biosecurity incursion work we carried out in December. Finally the wild and windy Atlantic weather pattern we’ve…

Species

Tormentil

Tormentil can be found growing on acid grassland, heathland and moorland, but even pops up alongside roads. It bears yellow, buttercup-like flowers, but with only four petals (buttercups have five…

Species

House mouse

The tiny, grey-brown house mouse is one of our most successful mammals. It thrives around buildings but is less likely to be found in our houses these days due to better construction.