SKOMER ISLAND

 I had always wanted to visit Skomer Island ..... so I was delighted when, at Christmas, my husband presented me with " A Trip to Skomer Island" as one of my presents!  Yes, I had to wait nearly six months to go on my trip, but my oh my was it worth it! 

We had booked into a bed and breakfast at a tiny seaside place called Dale, which is just a few miles away from Martins Haven, the little bay from where the Skomer boat departs. As the boat approaches the island, puffins can be seen flying overhead and diving into the sea to catch sandeels. and there were also  porpoise ahead of the boat .

On arrival we could see  puffins peeping over the grassy cliffs that tumbled down to the sea, also guillemots and razorbills; all at very close range, and not intimidated at all by the visitors. After a quick talk by the warden, off we went to explore the Island.

The whole of the island appeared to be carpeted in a delightful combination of bluebells and pink campion, from which Great black-backed gulls could be seen peeping.  A short-eared owl flew close to us, swooping in and out of the coloured blanket on the ground looking for prey.

But, for me, the highlight was the puffins; thousands of them! I was surprised to find them smaller than I had imagined, and spent much of my time on the island watching them and photographing them. I fell in love with them, so much so, that we went back the next day for a second helping!

Skomer Island is situated off the Pembrokeshire coast, and is home to approximately 6000 breeding pairs of puffins.  They are resident on the island between mid-April and mid-July.  This is their breeding period,  during which they nest in burrows around the cliffs and slopes. Each pair will produce one egg, which is usually hatched around mid-June, some a little earlier, and others a little later.  By late summer, the chicks will be completely independent of their parents, and will leave their burrows by cover of night to protect them from predators (usually the Great Black-backed Gulls that also inhabit Skomer), and head off to sea, where they will remain for approximately two years, eventually returning to Skomer to pair up and mate.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE PICTURES AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED TAKING THEM!