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Event

Skomer Shearwater Week 2026

Skomer Shearwater Week is running for 3 sessions in 2026, 30th August-1st September, 1st-3rd September and 3rd-5th September. Booking opens on Monday 8th December.

Species

Great black-backed gull

This huge gull can be seen around most of the UK's coasts in summer, with some venturing inland in winter.

Species

Harbour porpoise

Despite being a little shy, these amazing marine mammals can be spotted close to shore in shallow waters. If you do get close, keep an eye out for the loud ‘chuff’ noise they make as they come to…

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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.
Species

Knot

A stocky, little sandpiper, the knot can be spotted in estuaries from August onwards, migrating here from the Arctic where it breeds. Look out for it probing the muddy sand with its specialised…

Species

Sand eel

Sand eels are a hugely important part of our marine ecosystem. In fact, the fledgling success of our breeding seabirds entirely depends on them.

Blog

Meet The 2023 Skomer Island Team

The arrival of May has seen our seabirds starting to lay and our researchers are hard at work monitoring their productivity. But the changing season has also brought a flurry of new staff to the…