49 with one blow...

For anyone who hasn't followed my previous Skomer Island of dreams escapades. I volunteer on the island for a week every summer and try to see 50 species of bird within the week, whilst living on the island. The past two years have ended at 49 species.

This was my first year having a car so I traveled down early on the Sunday to Martin's Haven, leaving my faithful companion Whitney in the safe hands of West Hook Camp Site.

I sailed over on the ever trusty Dale Princess, featuring my fave sticker.

I was staying in Glowworm with my new buddy and keen eyed photographer 'Tog Kevin. I made up my trusty Monkey and Toy truck bed, and set off to find Kev at the Wick.

Got my first close-ups of the Puffins. The highlight of the day was getting the Cuckoo in the scope right up on top of the cliffs at the Wick, very strange behavior perhaps scoping out to leave? I also managed to finally get my first Puffling Swoon!

The following day the island is closed to visitors for work-party Monday, which usually means some pretty intense Scything duties, and this Monday was no different tackling some invasive and colossal Willow-herb patches, over seven feet tall in the boiling sunshine. Character building shall we say.
















The water was in short supply due to the long hot summer so there was a shower ban and compost loo's only. As anyone who knows me will tell you, sea baths everyday is music to my ears especially with a cold tin of cider as a reward for scything duty.

The following evening after duties Kev and I decided to try an photograph the Short-eared Owl. I was tasked with finding, spotting and creative direction, whilst Kev was on camera duty. Here is the result I was pretty pleased with it to be honest.

The following evening during bird log I was invited to go out and finally see one of me dream birds Storm Petrel as they were going to be ringing birds at one of the small colonies. We climbed down some rocks at 1030 at night in complete darkness, where we sat and waited by moonlight a little way from the mist nets. The sky was particularly clear and very very starry due to low levels of light pollution. One of the data entry volunteers was kind enough to point out Mars, Saturn including rings and Jupiter including Moons through binoculars and amazing view of Milky way also. About quarter passed midnight after only catching a rogue Puffin, during what was going to be our final net check we finally had not 1 but 5 Stormies!

Under red torchlight I got my first glimpse of these dreamy little tiny sea birds. We got to watch whist they were given a check over, wings measured, brood patches examined and two out of the 5 were new captures so we got to see them being ringed. I also was lucky enough to hold, smell and release one totally dreamy.

The smell I would say is like the love potions in Harry Potter it smells different depending on the recipient. I got earthy, metallic musky and a wee bit floral, but utterly lush! A totally unforgettable evening so thanks again to all involved. Then to walk back under starlight, whilst thousands of Manxies fly in calling...

The following evening I was out in the hide desperately trying to find a Mallard as I was approaching my target with some 'should be easy' birds for the island, still outstanding due to the lack of water the ponds had dried up meaning ducks had vanished... When I was about to leave a swallow was trying to come in through one of the hide flaps to its nest and I was lucky enough to snap this amazing photo through the hide flap.

A fab week with these legends, thanks all...

Guess what I ended on species wise...

Yep you guessed it 49 third year in a row, but with Stormy as a lifer for me under the belt I won't be too disheartened another incredible week. I decided to commemorate the occasion for #CrudelyDrawnBirds

Take Care
Stubbs
xx

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.

"The island took my heart"

I genuinely can't remember a week I have ever enjoyed as much as this. I have dreamed about this place for at least 5 years and applied the last three years I think and missed the deadline every time. I finally got a place this time.

I stayed in a little village called Marloes, the day before as I was sailing early the next morning. Marloes was lush and I went for a walk to nearby Marloes sands, as it was a nice afternoon and I knew I could see Skomer from there. 

I took this great book that a dear friend got me as a present before coming away, it a fictional thriller set in a bee hive I can't recommend it highly enough or the gift of giving a book, as it really if the gift that keeps on giving! The Bees by Laline Paull.

I had a paddle and sat on the rocks and read a few chapters. I head back to find some dinner and a few pints at the Lobsterpot. I had vegan drunken mushroom pie, sauteed potatoes, peas, salad and a pint of rockhopper penguin, banging! I sat in the beer garden til late reading and drinking.

I stayed at the Albion B&B super kitsch and lush. 

I was up at the crack of dawn for cereal, toast and coffee and a frog march down to the landing with all my gear for a week. Two nice fellows who were off for a morning dip picked me up as they felt sorry for me walking with all my kit.

I was first to the landing and went straight down to wait for the boat. I was soon joined by other volunteers who were going out for the week also and some overnight guests for the hostel. There were seals in the water already.

The boat sailed at 9 sharp, after loading the gear on-board felt a bit sea sick having not used my "Sea legs" (RIP Blackbeard) for a while. Loved the no smoking sign which said "No Puffin" with a picture of a Puffin smoking a pipe! 

The crossing was really quick, painless and incredible views of the coastline, puffins in the water as well.

Obligatory Boat selfie

We walked up to the farm complex at the centre of the island where we would be staying. We got straight to unpacking and making beds I bought some particularly fetching bedding just for the occasion.

The accommodation is basic, but awesome, the setting is unreal! we have a briefing with Jason the assistant warden about the remainder of the day and how the duties work for the rest of the week.

Myself and my buddy Joe are on Patrol so we get to have a good mosey around the island and then we are on visitor engagement at the Wick with a scope on the cliff.

The views of Puffins, Fulmar and Kittwake, from the cliff were insane puffins literally came and landed right in front of you, they also did some impressive fly-bys too.

That evening and pretty much every evening we sat around after dinner as a group playing cards, playing Taboo, Jenga, Scrabble and the post it note name on the head game.

I was amazed by how close the Puffins will actually come in order to get back to their burrows.

Juvenile peregrine taken through the scope with my IPhone from the Wick.

Fellow Volunteers Joe, Charlie and Will at the trig point.

Exploring the island at dusk with the lads.

All the work on the island is still done manually, which I found not only massively improved my well-being, but I also lost 4 inches off my waist. Here's me being the not so grim reaper scything the paths by hand.

The Castaway Beard is really starting to take shape now!

One evening I got to help the research students living on the island to weigh and feed the Manx Shearwater chicks. This guy was my favorite, despite being the smallest he was super feisty, earning him the nickname Biting Sh*t, which I thought was awesome. 

The Wick in the sunshine.

Reptile survey counting slow worms.

Counting cetaceans from Skomer head at dusk with the group, mostly porpoise. Saw our first Short eared Owl at dusk on the walk back, on our last night on the island, after looking all week unsuccessfully.

The Manx Shearwater at night is one of the most unforgettable wildlife experiences of my entire life. The sound they make as they come in for the night is blood curdling and really eerie, you sit on the bench at the landing in complete darkness, and the birds start flying in to land all around you in their hundreds. They are really beautiful, but very very clumsy.

Skomer vole survey, these are endemic to the island and are not found anywhere else in the world.

Panoramic view from the island, it's so beautiful here.

Common Toad are literally everywhere at night on the island

We swam at the landing point on our last day, after finishing our last shift all together. There were Seals swimming in the water so amazing, the next day a pod of 200+ dolphins passed right through where we were swimming.

This is my favourite Puffin shot from my visit, I tried all week to get the classic shot with the sand eels in the beak.

Jason managed to get a Convolvolous Hawk Moth which he was kind enough to bring to show us, we also got to see what other species he had caught I was particularly amazed by the Sexton beetle.

One of my other fave shots of a Raven flying past scavenging.

I truly can't recommend Residential volunteering enough for improving personal well-being, or just visiting this truly wondrous island for the day or an overnight stay at the hostel, but be warned you like me my lose your heart to an island too. 

I'm already booked to go back next year!

Stubbs