About Skomer and Skokholm
Skokholm Island
Skokholm is three miles off the west coast of Pembrokeshire. Everything about the island is warm and welcoming, the figurehead of the 'Alice Williams', a Schooner wrecked on the island in 1927, gazes down on South Haven where the landing stage is situated. The houses on the island were restored by Ronald Lockley using the wood from the wreckage of the Alice Williams. The crew abandoned it after she was blown under full sail onto the rocks. The cargo of coal was also salvaged as well as many other items.
The quay was built to accommodate the lighthouse construction materials in 1916. The island has changed little in the last one hundred years. There is a path that stretches from the quay to the lighthouse and the old farmhouse. Along the meadow to the limekiln you can see rabbits, Oystercatchers and Wheatears.
Dale Castle Estates has owned the island for over 250 years; however, due to its remoteness it has had few tenants. Those that have lived there and farmed the land have been rewarded for the soil is deep and fertile. The farm buildings date from around 1690 and have changed little over the years. At around the year 1300, rabbits were introduced to the island and in the absence of natural predators; they thrived and were a highly profitable crop. The latter half of the 18th century saw an improvement in farming techniques this together with the effect of the Napoleonic wars and the subsequent high prices, led to a steep increase in rent. The recession after the wars led to a collapse in prices but the high rents remained. During the 19th century the farming economy improved.
Ronald Lockley became the tenant in 1927 and farmed the land for his own use; he was more interested in the wildlife and produced a stream of books on his lifestyle and about the birds. It was through his observations that Britain's first Bird Observatory on the island in 1933 was established and there are many outstanding records of rare birds in the County avifauna as a result.
The Dyfed Wildlife Trust took over the island over 43 years ago; the farm buildings have been converted to comfortable accommodation for the many visitors to the island. The cottage houses a few bedrooms and the common room, while the barn has become a picturesque kitchen/diner.
Some 'traditions' of the island have been upheld over the years, such as the gatherings in the evenings where the lighting is by the mellow, yellow of Tilley lamps hung from the beams. The drift wood fire and mugs of cocoa make the picture complete.
The cliffs of Old Red Sandstone, deep purple with pale grey green bands intermingled are topped with yellow lichens and a lavish abundance of pink, white and blue spring flowers. Each inlet, cove, nook and cranny has been named; Bread Rock, Steep Bay, the Devils Teeth, Spy Rock.
Skokholm is 240 acres, is a nature reserve and a SSI (Site of Scientific Interest). It is a site of national importance for its remarkable lichen flora but is better known for its birds and in particular for its colonies of Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels. At night the island can be littered with shearwaters, the Storm Petrel colony is the largest in the Irish Sea and one of the easiest to visit. Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills breed on the cliffs and a few pairs of Fulmar have established themselves on the island. Wheatears breed in the walls and rabbit warrens, Gulls and Oystercatchers seem to call from every rock pinnacle. Off the west coast of the island you can often see Skuas and Terns, Porpoise and Dolphins feeding in the tide race.
From the driftwood benches around the buildings you can sit and watch the world go by, you can see fishing boats, ferries, oil tankers, tugboats, dredgers and yachts. The water between the mainland and the islands was often treacherous and the boats carrying supplies to the island and produce to the mainland often found the waters difficult to negotiate.
Skomer Island
For some reason, islands seem to fascinate most people. Almost everyone would welcome the opportunity of living on an island - but could we really cope with the harsh reality? The Pembrokeshire islands are high on the list of people with such ideals.
For instance, Skomer Island, the infamous 'Jack Sound' separates Skomer from the mainland. The main part of the island is flat but is surrounded by cliffs broken up by inlets. The island is owned by the Countryside Council for Wales and is leased and managed by the Wildlife Trust for West Wales.
Skomer is home to a quarter of a million seabirds, the majority being Manx Shearwaters. These somewhat 'shy' seabirds 'roam' the oceans returning to the island at night. Nighttime on Skomer is a sight worth seeing and hearing - the noise alone is a unique experience. Shearwaters nest in burrows on the island, when on land they are awkward. They spend their winter 'holidays' off the coast of Brazil and Uruguay and as far a field as Argentina but they return to the island the following Spring.
Puffin
The Puffin or 'Pembrokeshire Penguin as it has been named by a few of our visitors to the Sea Safari, spends two thirds of their life at sea and the rest, April to July, on Skomer.
Puffins lay a single egg that takes 42 days to hatch. You know when the egg has hatched because the adult birds begin to bring fish back to the burrows. The Puffin feeds its chick several times a day until they are about 6 - 7 weeks, when their downy covering turns to feathers and they are ready to leave their burrows. When the chicks leave they go for several years, returning to breed on Skomer. The Puffin will spend its first years at sea, usually in the Bay of Biscay.
Manx Shearwater
The Manx Shearwater returns to the Island during March. They lay a single egg that is laid April to early May. The incubation period is 51 days and is shared between the parents. The fledgling period is 72 days, after this period the chicks can weigh half as much as an adult. The fledgling starves itself until they leave in early September when the take a journey of several weeks to the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil.
Other Birds
Guilliemots and Razorbills are on the cliffs from early May to late July. Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Gulls also nest on this beautiful island. Kittiwakes are dainty but noisy making a noise similar to shrieking 'kittiwake', 'kittiwake'. They can be found in the 'Wick', one of the finest seabird cliffs in northwest Europe.
Fulmars can often be mistaken for gulls, the difference being the Fulmar has tubular nostrils and dark eyes. In flight, they are the true masters of every swish of air, every air current along the cliff face. The Fulmars also nest in the 'Wick'.
A few hundred Herring Gulls nest on the cliff tops. The Great Black-backed Gulls occupy the knolls and ridges. The Lesser Black-backed Gulls nest on the plateaus and cliff slopes. They all have the same nesting cycle. Incubation of 3 eggs takes 28 days. The Chicks fledge at 7 weeks.
Other feathered visitors to the island are: Oystercatchers, Curlews, Choughs, Ravens, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Skylarks, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtails, Wrens, Hedge Sparrows, Blackbirds and Sedge Warblers.
Breeding Birds of Prey found on the island are Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine and Little Owl.
More Natives of Skomer
The rare 'Skomer Vole' also lives and breeds on the island and it has the second largest breeding population of grey seals in Wales.
Interesting Facts
- A lot of the island has been designated an Ancient Monument by Cadw. Its Archaeological Records are exceptional. There is evidence of Iron Age communities around the edges of the island.
- All of the islands, Skomer Skokholm and Grassholm are all Sites of Scientific Interest. Skomer and Skokholm are also important for their geology and are designated National Nature Reserves. Skomer is surrounded by Wales' only Marine Nature Reserve. Nowhere in Britain is such a small area the subject of such high levels of recognition.
- On of the times to visit Skomer is mid May - mid June. Bluebells carpet the island at this time. Bluebells are normally a woodland plant but there is not a tree to be found on the island. Scurvy Grass, its white flowers are first to announce the arrival of Spring. The thick fleshy leaves are allegedly an antidote to scurvy! The Sea Campion appears a bit later. Thrift is a remarkable sight; however, in June they are crowned with pink flowers which is also why they are called Sea Pink. Another flower found on Skomer is Sea Mayweed, which normally flowers in July and August.
