Skomer Island, Wales

Skomer Island, on the Southwest coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales UK, is a stunning place to visit to see Wildlife at close quarters. Famed for it's Puffin population during the breeding season, Skomer is visited by many people looking see these little sea birds and what a spectacle they are!

With access via a boat that carries up to 50 people, the journey is fairly short although with fast running tides and the exposed location, the journey can be a little edgy!

Once on the Island a steep patch takes you to a meeting point where a member of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales will briefly chat about what to see and where on the Island. Then, after getting your breath back from the climb it's off to explore the Island. On the way out across the Island I was lucky enough to the one of the resident Short Eared Owls hunting - always a nice sight!

Razorbills, Guillemots and a Puffin on a ledge
close to the landing place.

Puffins are mainly found in an area Known as 'The Wick', on the Southern side of the Island, although they can bee seen almost anywhere else along the coast. Once at the Wick the Puffins are seen scurrying in and out of Burrows, flying out off the Cliff and coming back in with mouthfuls of Sand eels. The site is full of action and the scene is quite stunning!

Skomers Puffins on the cliff at the Wick.

One of my main photographic targets for the day was to photograph Puffin with Sand eels in their bills. There was no shortage of targets to photograph!

Puffin with Sand eels.

Puffin with Sand eels. The Daisies really add
to this photograph.

Puffin with Sand eels.

I took a large 500mm lens to the Island. Not the easiest to carry around on Skomer but I knew I'd want it for some nice portrait photographs with clear backgrounds. The extra weight of the lens was worth the effort!

Puffin on the cliff edge, photographed with a
Canon 1D Mk iv and 500mm f/4 L IS lens

Using a large lens helps isolate single Puffins for nice portraits.

The soft green background helps make the Puffin
really stand out in this photograph.

Of course, there's a lot more on Skomer than Puffins. Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmar, many species of Gull and Manx Shearwater are all present in large numbers along with small birds like Chats and Pippits.
It was surprising to see many of these species cohabiting locations without squabbles or altercations!

Razorbill, Sunning itself on a rocky ledge.

Razorbill enjoying the early July sun

Guillemot stretching on the cliff edge.

A pair of Guillemots

Fulmar in flight around the cliff at the Wick

Also spotted during my visit to Skomer were a couple of Grey Seals and even a Dolphin was spotted on the return journey although I was not able to photograph it in time!