Search

Page

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

Great white egret

As the name suggests, this tall, white heron is considerably larger than the similar little egret. Once a rare visitor to the UK, sightings have become more common over the last few decades, with…

Species

Yellow slug

The Yellow slug lives up to its name - its yellow body is mottled with grey patches. Often found in gardens and damp places in houses, it can be considered a pest, but is an important nutrient…

Species

Common woodlouse

If you were to pick up a rock in the garden, you’d hopefully find a few common woodlouse. These hardy minibeasts have in-built armour and like to hide in warm, moist places like compost heaps.

Species

Rook

The all-black rook is a sociable bird, so can be spotted in flocks or nesting colonies, known as 'rookeries'. Unlike the similar carrion crow, it has a grey bill and 'baggy trouser…

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,…

Page

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.
Habitat

Marine

There's another world waiting beneath the waves. Seals weave in and out of sunlit kelp forests, cuttlefish flash all the colours of the rainbow, starfish graze along the muddy seabed and…

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…

Species

Acorn barnacle

Barnacles are so common on our rocky shores that you've probably never really noticed them. They're the little grey bumps covering the rocks that hurt your feet when you're…

Habitat

Limestone pavement

Slabs of smooth grey rock, incised with deep fissures and patterned with swirling hollows and runnels sculpted by thousands of years of rainwater, form an unlikely wildlife habitat. Look a little…