Skomer Island
I took a short break to Wales with my son earlier this month. We visited Skomer Island while there, a magical day of scenery, wildlife, and sunshine.
Introduction to Skomer
Less than a mile off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Skomer Island is accessed by boat across the narrow stretch of water known as Jack Sound. Skomer is managed by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and is the largest of Pembrokeshire’s Islands. As with many other Welsh islands, it was named by the Vikings. The island separated from the mainland around 12,000 years ago when sea levels rose at the end of the last Ice Age.
An Iron Age settlement on Skomer can be dated to between 5,000 and 2,000 years ago. The huts, fields and cairns left on the island are some of the most complete remains of this period in Europe and are likely to have served an Iron Age farming community of up to 200 people. Most of the island is consequently designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
A world renowned wildlife paradise, the island is home to a huge variety of wildlife above and below the surface. No ground predators live on the island, making Skomer one of the world’s most important habitats for burrow nesting seabirds such as puffins and Manx shearwaters.
Wildlife
Skomer is known in particular for puffins. Over 42,000 birds return to Skomer each April where they nest to raise a single chick (known as a puffling). When ready to fledge, the young depart under cover of darkness to reduce the likelihood of predation by gulls. With no further responsibility for the juveniles, the parents leave in July to spend winter at sea.
The island is an important location for other birds too. It has the largest colony of Manx shearwaters in the world. The longest-lived bird in Britain, around 350,000 of the seabirds return from South America to their nest burrows each year. Raising a single chick, the parents only return to their burrows at night. In the darkness, their haunting calls during breeding season have inspired supernatural stories and tales of witches.
Other feathered residents and visitors include chough, meadow pipit, rock pipit, fulmar, kittiwakes, great black-backed gulls, short-eared owl, and curlew. A stay in the Skomer hostel, or a volunteering stint would be needed to have a chance of seeing all residents!
There are no rats on the island, which is vital for ground-nesters; rats have a penchant for eggs and young birds. Among the mammals on the island is the Skomer vole, a subspecies of the bank vole and found only on Skomer. Other mammals on and around Skomer include rabbits, shrews, grey seal, bottlenose dolphins, and harbour porpoises.
Recommended
If you have a chance to visit Skomer, I recommend it. The history of the island, the scenery, the connection to nature, and the opportunity for quiet time away from demands of everyday life combine to make a thoroughly enjoyable day trip. We had beautifully clear skies when we went, but rain would not have diminished our enjoyment.
I took all photos in this piece during our day trip to Skomer – hover over/tap each picture for image description.
