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By stevenjburnett

June 12, 2009

Category: Uncategorized

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We’ve recently returned from a week on Skomer, a tiny island just a 10 minute boat ride from the Pembrokeshire mainland in Wales.  We almost didn’t make it to the island though as wild weather threatened to stop all sailings and, having resigned ourselves to a few days B&B on the mainland were amazed to fortuitously be in the right place at the right time to get on a boat which was heading out in a brief weather window to pick up people stranded on the island.  We arrived to find no hot water, a broken toilet and a strange smell of damp.  None of this was of any consequence as we, along with 4 others, had made it to the island.

 This was during bird count week, with the island closed to daytrippers.  No bird counting was taking place however as no volunteers had made it to the island and nor would they for another 48 hours – during which time we had the island to ourselves.

 The shot (above) of the Short Eared Owl was taken during our first afternoon on the island and, despite seeing them regularly thereafter, I never bettered it as they never flew quite so cavalierly close again – much to the chagrin of others who arrived on two days later!  We saw so many wonderful birds that it was hard to take it in and I got good shots of puffin, wheatear, whitethroat, chough, short-eared owl, little owl, kittiwakes, fulmar, gulls, oystercatcher, meadow pipits, razorbill, guillemots, pied flycatchers, swallows and sedge warblers.  Next year’s booking is already being made and hopefully we’ll be as lucky with the company as we were this year as we met some lovely people.

 The set-up on the island is simple and effective.  The Warden has a lodge overlooking the harbour where guests arrive and depart on the Dale Princess.   Overnight guests luggage is taken from the harbour to the farmhouse accommodation by tractor while guests follow on foot on a 15 minute walk to the visitor centre which includes a guest accommodation block and a volunteer accommodation block set around a courtyard flanked also by a managed ruin of an old farmhouse.  Rooms are simple, containing beds, a table, shelves and a light.  There are a couple of power sockets in the kitchen which facilitate minor appliances such as battery chargers.  The kitchen has two gas stoves/hobs, two sinks, a small fridge and precious little by way of pots and pans.  The kitchen, in inclement weather, is the only warm room in the building and thus guests tend to congregate there for the evening to share tales and photographs.

 With such small numbers on the island one can literally walk all day without encountering another soul and the sense of tranquillity is a rare treat.  One is always surrounded by beauty and whether walking or just quietly blending into the surroundings there is always something to see and marvel at.  The most awe inspiring aspects of our visit were the sightings of the short eared owls hunting and, at one stage, there were 6 owls within my line of sight at the same time.  It was always a treat to spot the little owl also, particularly as he is so well camouflaged and, well, little!  On a grander scale an evening spent on the harbour wall watching swarms of puffins zipping around our heads on their way back to their burrows will never be forgotten, nor will the haunting sights and sounds of 60,000 Shearwaters returning home to their burrows after midnight.  Such things have to be experienced to be believed.

 The volunteers finally arrived and the island felt almost busy when we ran into groups of pole carrying counters on their way to a nesting site.  Every couple of hours there would be a huge cacophony as the counters moved in and the adult birds took to the skies in a flurry of activity.  Fascinating to watch and the count was almost completed to schedule which is testament to the hard work of the volunteers when they were given the opportunity to put some hours in by mother nature.

 A quite wonderful place.

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