Mediterranean Skomer
Any visit to Skomer Island is magical, but when you throw in wall to wall sunshine and superb wildlife sightings, you are sure to have a great time.
I arrived at Martin’s Haven (the embarkation point for the Skomer Island ferry) at around 07.30 for our 09.00 sailing across to the island; it was already 23 degrees and I knew we had struck gold. I have been on Skomer Island many times, but I have never experienced anything like a Mediterranean summer day in west Wales.
As we approached Skomer, it was bathed in a glorious golden light, the seabirds were filling the sky and the calls of kittiwakes, guillemots and gulls could be heard all around. Skomer always delivers whatever the weather, but with glorious sunshine predicted for the entirety of our stay surely we had to be on to a winner?
Many of the passerines and the short-eared owls that were so active earlier in the year were keeping out of sight, avoiding the heat of the sun. This didn’t really matter. The wonder of staying overnight on Skomer is making the most of the mornings and evenings when you have the island all to yourself.
Heading out as the sun starts to drop, the seabirds seemingly come alive. The numbers of puffins on the cliff tops swell and soon enough you are surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of birds. We were even treated to a wonderful sighting of a puffling, yes that really is the correct name for a baby puffin!
After dark the fun didn’t stop, we had a surreal experience as thousands of Manx shearwater returned to the island in the soft moonlight. The island is home to 50% of the world’s breeding population, so any stay on Skomer isn’t complete without witnessing this unique spectacle.
Early starts mean you can watch the sun rise, and heading down to the east of the island allows wonderful views of nesting razorbills and - on this trip - a very friendly grey seal. The morning light was excellent, providing a sparkling sea for a background and illuminating the seabirds’ outline.
It really was a magical few days and we had countless opportunities to photograph the charismatic puffins. It sometimes seems like it is hard not to take a good picture of a puffin.
On our final morning we headed out on a RIB, aiming to reach the island of Grassholm which is home to at least 40,000 pairs of breeding northern gannets. It was the perfect day for such a trip and the gannets put on an awesome display. A few harbour porpoise made an appearance and a raft of Manx shearwaters decided to show themselves, an unusual sighting so close to shore during the light of day.
It was a near-perfect few days and it is so rare to be rewarded with such fantastic weather. This is certainly one trip that I will not forget in a hurry.
Join us on our Puffin Photography trip to Skomer Island. Contact us for more information, or sign up to our e-news to receive notification when more dates are announced.
