Skomer

My third year volunteering on the wondrous isle of Skomer.

I had dinner at the Lobster Pot and drank some beautiful/lethal Old Crow Cider 7.4% lush Celtic
drawing of a crow on the bottle, I'm a sucker for an animal label.

The sticker always means happy times! No Puffin'





















The now infamous Monkey and toy truck bedding














A different time of year to usual for me, the island looks completely different blanketed in Red Campion and Bluebells, the smell is amazing too.

















Puffins at the Wick, again an increase in numbers and a better time of year to see them, as when I usually come they are all leaving.

I have tried the last two years, to see 50 species of Birds in the week, and failed at 49 both years. Here's the Bird log board from one of the days.

I finally however, got my Turtle Dove, after years of wanting to see one and failing. I had heard through the grapevine one had been seen that day. So after duties and a bit of dinner, I went for a wee walk, just as it was starting to get dark, down to North Valley Crossing, just as I got there, there was already a very confused Manxie about, really early still light. As I got to the willows on the crossing, the Turtle Dove was flushed and circled around long enough to get it in the bins for a few seconds. It headed back towards the farm so I followed, but lost it. Luckily, fellow volunteers alerted others who also saw it so I was chuffed.






They have these new swanky Gilets for the volunteers, so no more smelly t shirts Yay!

This is probably my favourite spot I have ever swam in.

This little guy got lost heading back to the boat.

Some amazing fellow volunteers this year, Homemade Bread & butter brioche pudding  by Rachel and Homemade 'Welsh Cakes' by an Englishman, some of the best I've tasted, good luck smuggling that recipe back across the bridge safely Mart.

Me in situe at the Wick waiting to greet the first of many boats.

 Larval web of the Lackey moth caterpillars.

A bee in a foxglove.

The sun setting in my fave place Skomer head.

Minotaur Beetle. 

Serious book envy Skomer island Library.

The best year ever for Short-Eared Owls, at least four pairs hunting all day, amazing views everyday. Flying overhead with a vole barking at you, chicks hissing from the undergrowth at dusk eerie.

As the sun sets on the last night drinking my last Old Crow, reminiscing on another amazing week, on my favourite Island, well-being fully restored.
















We had a lift back to the car in the back of a farmers pickup truck, which Rachel found hilarious if anyone knows these two please share the pic as I don't have a contact for them, a wonderful couple!


Stubbs
xxx

No Puffin

This summer I got to once again be utterly captivated by being transported off for a week's residential volunteering on the most spectacular place I have ever been... Skomer Island.

I swam in the sea with Puffins, they are really inquisitive and come quite close, as they can only see your head when you are in the water. When they look under the water and realise how big you really are they are off pretty quickly. We also had some excellent flybys with beaks full of sand eels, whilst we were swimming off the landing.

On one day a very inquisitive seal who we christened Neil, also checked us out very closely, whilst we were swimming.

I set a target of getting 50 birds in a week, whilst my fellow vols had done 50 in two weeks.

I managed to get 49 species falling frustratingly one short for the week.



However, I did finally manage to see the Little owl, on at least three occasions on the gorse bushes near the trig point. So I commemorated the sighting with a little Crudely Drawn Birds Sketch.














My heart was once again stolen by Doris the Fulmar though, easily my fave seabird, so pretty on the wing beautiful little faces.

One of the highlights of the week for me was weighing the Shearwater chicks with the Oxford researchers. I think this picture shows how happy I was.

I also had awesome views of the Short-eared Owl hunting at dusk, which is amazing.


However, I think my fave experience this year was doing a Sea watch in the evening on a particularly stormy day, where the sea was really churning up and the Shearwaters all came in closer to the island, doing what they do best shearing the water in their thousands, an unbelievable spectacle and one I will never forget. I also managing to see two Sandwich Terns passing the island another first for me, thanks to the ever keen eyed Jason.

Doing a Greater Black Backed Gull nest site pellet transect in the pouring rain was also memorable for all the wrong reasons shorts and wellies Rookie mistake!


Once again the Annual Volunteer Kubb tournament was another highlight and I once again "Had my eye in" whilst enjoying a Rev James from my bestie Joe.


















Another great week with a truly fabulous team whom I think all benefited in some way from each others company.


Left again heavy-hearted to be going home and leaving my fave island, but with my personal well-being fully restored from an awesome week.