Fancy having these guys as your neighbours?....Then read on.......
The following was taken from "Personal Notes to Applicants"about the Skomer Warden position:
(Deadline - 3rd December 2012)
Hopefully this account will give you a feel for what it is
like to be the Skomer Warden. This role is massively rewarding and has played a
huge part in my life and as result my life will never be the same again.
You and your assistant return to the island in early March.
All the forecasts say the weather is calm and we can go. We usually go out
using the island’s boat (a 12ft AVON inflatable with 40hp engine) across the
Jack Sound (where a tide can race up to 6 knots). We land the boat on the beach
and unload luggage. The boat has to be taken out of the water tonight as there
is a Force 8 gale coming through at 7pm. For this we need the tractor to start
– after sitting stationary for 3 months this doesn’t always happen – but it is
up to you to fix it or else the boat could be swept of the mooring in that
strength of wind. Then you must unpack, settle in. Before this you have to get
the water flowing in the buildings, ensure the gas regulators are in good
order, turn on the electrics and check for any other damage that might have
occurred in the winter storms. The feeling of being the first back on the
island is amazing though – you discover that a Barn Owl has been roosting on
your doorstep, the vegetation has all been knocked back by the storms and you
can clearly see the prehistoric remains of habitations past. Seals haul out on
the beach below the house (over 100 sometimes) – the noises and smells are
fantastic! You go for a walk as soon as you can after that first cup of tea. Up
to North Valley, stumbling across roosting buzzards and up to North Pond (20 Teal
and 6 Mallard, some Shoveler – nothing too special today).
Next few weeks are spent preparing for the season. Cleaning
out the volunteers’ accommodation because they will be here in a few weeks
time. Repairing any immediate damage which might have occurred over winter, but
frustratingly you never have the right materials and things need to be fixed
the island way – imagination is paramount as you can’t just pop down the local
Travis Perkins (although there is one in Haverfordwest). The buildings are damp
and cold, the days are quite short and it is quiet on the island. You are
wondering if it will be like this for the whole year.
Come April, the island opens to the public. All day boats
have an introductory talk about the island’s wildlife. Overnight guests are
arriving and leaving. Volunteers are helping you and your assistant out.
Without whom the island wouldn’t run. Although you need to be involved with the
boats try and make sure your assistant takes a big share of this load because
there are lots of other things to be done. There are more jobs to do on the buildings;
the Breeding Bird Surveys have started. You need to start planning you seabird
monitoring for the season. Your field assistant starts on the 15 April so you
need to be up to speed on the methodologies by then so that you can train them.
Meanwhile there are some issues with some overnight guests that need to be
sorted (some confusion about the times of the boat) – before your Hostel Warden
arrives (early April) you will have to step in and sort it out. Meanwhile the
Skokholm Warden rings to organise a gas delivery – you have to work this into
your routine and balance it between when volunteers are available to help, the
weather and the availability of the boatman and the availability of the
delivery driver – hopefully you will be able to co-ordinate a delivery so that
both the island can get resupplied for a few months before it gets busy. Tonight
is your turn to do bird log. This is a great social event on the island, a
chance for everyone to get together to record any bird sightings seen during
the day – a dataset going back to the 60s that must be maintained. After a beer
or two it is time for bed. You lie in bed and you hear the sound of thousands
of Manx Shearwaters return to their burrows – the sound is pretty intense in
April with lots of fights going on between males defending burrows – regularly
the noise can wake you from your sleep – but you don’t mind. |
| Buildings at North Haven encompass the Warden's house, REsearch accommodation, office/library and a garage |
August has arrived and the number of day visitors is
decreasing but there are still daily boats. Now you have to pull together all
that seabird data you and your field assistant have collected and put it
together to form report to the JNCC. The Breeding Bird Survey maps also needs
processing, maybe your assistant can help with this. There is also lots of
other research that has been going on that must be pulled together into the
seabird report – adult survival rates, Manx Shearwater productivity and Puffin
productivity all carried out by the Edward Grey Institute Field Assistant. You
start to think about the management plan but might not start editing that until
September. I usually get off the island once a month for a food shop. I try and
get off inbetween to get a change of scene – I think this is important once in
awhile.
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September is here, seals are starting to pup. Some days you
will go out with the seal contractor (funded by CCW) to help mark identify
individual pups to work out survival rates to first moult. There might also be
some pictures taken to help with identifying and recognising cows that pup on
the island. There are building maintenance tasks that you have been meaning to
do for a while, but now you have a little more time for. September is a good
time for vegetation monitoring, in particular heather.
October and November are a time to work slightly more normal
hours (usually less because earlier on in the year you are working many more
hours). There is archiving work to be done in the library, monitoring for
migrants is also fun at this time of year. There are often requests for
information by various individuals/organisations (dissertations,etc.) that need
to be dealt with. This is also a good time of year to think about how you will
run the next year.
End of November you leave the island. We generally take
December as holiday – this is a good chance to travel I have been able to go to
New Zealand and other interesting places during my time. This is a real benefit
of this job.
 |
| Boats don't land every day. |
The whole support network of people who have been involved
in the islands is also fantastic. Highly acclaimed ornithology researchers pop
in for tea – Chris Perrins is on the phone to make sure his studies are going
well and looking into new possibilities and wants to share ideas, Tim Birkhead
pops in to give you a copy of his latest book – he advises you on some of your
methodologies while you chat. But also a local network of highly skilled
volunteers who are keen to help you.
I hope this gives you a feel for living, working and
breathing Skomer. I would highly recommend this job to anyone. Why am I
leaving? Maybe just too much of a good thing. It seems most wardens "last" for around
5 or 6 years.
Enjoy it and look after the place.
Chris Taylor
Skomer Warden
2010-2013
Assistant Warden
2007 and 2008 |
| Never short of a something to celebrate! |
