Now is a great time to do a bit of Seal watching on Skomer and around the Marloes penninsula, the adults are hauling out each low tide in North Haven and around the Garland Stone. The bulls will start taking up territory around the pupping beaches and there will be plenty of interactions to watch.
Make sure you follow these rules if you go out seal watching, and go to http://www.pembrokeshiremarinecode.org.uk/ for more info.> Never approach Seals close up
> Keep still, quiet and inconspicuous. If viewing from a cliff top keep low and don't cast a shadow onto the beach below
> Seal pups sleep a LOT! It is normal for them to lie still for hours, their mothers will come ahsore every few hours to feed them. The mother may not come ashore if there are humans around so don't stay too long.
The Shearwaters are starting to fledge, they come out of their burrows to exercise their wings each night and get an idea of the big-wide world, they have been underground since hatching for about 70 days! These youngsters can be told apart from the adults by a few tufts of fluff here and there. Late August or September is a brilliant time of year to come and stay on Skomer and see the young Shearwaters. Amazingly these youngsters will find their way to the wintering grounds off the coast of South America all by themselves - a wonder of bird migration!
Big groups of diving Gannets and feeding Porpoises have been seen in the last couple of days. Also one Balearic Searwater in St Brides Bay. Oystercatcher roosts are building up and a few other waders are present such as Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper. The Kittiwakes have now all fledged and abandoned the ledges, but there are still young Fulmar to be seen.
Numbers of Ravens are building up
can be watched playing in the up-drafts from the cliffs - fantastic flyers! We think that their numbers build up at this time of year as they come to take advantage of the fledging Shearwaters.
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