Key Islands Project Highlights – Sentinels of the Sea
Skomer Island
• WTSWW’s Skomer Island staff and volunteer team pulled out all the stops to count every cliff nesting seabird on the island during the first three weeks of June. A massive 32,000 Guillemots and over 10,000 Razorbills were counted by the team from the island’s boat. The new engine, safety equipment and training for our staff and volunteers funded by the Nature Nextworks Fund grant made this a more efficient and comfortable process for the team in 2022.
• Skomer Island saw its largest Puffin count post second world war in March 2022. 38,896 Puffins were recorded during an early evening count pre egg laying when all the birds are on the surface of the land or sea and visible to staff. All the seabird results are reported the full Skomer seabird report available for anyone to download for free from our website.
Lisa Morgan, Head of Islands and Marine for WTSWW said, “The continuation of our long-term studies on seabird populations and breeding success requires a huge investment in staff time and training but also in the equipment we need to allow them to do their jobs safely. Money from this grant has paid for everything from boat clothing, VHF radios and lifejackets to a new £6k boat engine for our Skomer team, to a brand new, bespoke ‘Puffin hide’ on Skokholm! Only by knowing how our seabirds are faring each year can we hope to manage our precious island habitats and the wider marine environment for their benefit.”
The Nature Networks Fund has been a lifeline for WTSWW’s seabird monitoring and visitor access work on Skomer and Skokholm Islands, as they continue to recover from the financial impacts of Covid.