Hello
from the long-term volunteer on Skomer. I’ve been here nearly 5 weeks now and
have got involved with all sorts of things, from visitor work to vole trapping to re-roofing! It’s a great time to be on Skomer, a really different
feel to the busy summer season. There’s a very peaceful atmosphere, and though
the puffins, guillemots and razorbills are long gone there’s no shortage of
wildlife to see. The huge flocks of ravens are fantastic at the moment, and I
could spend hours watching them playing in the wind. Going out at night I’ve
had the wonderful experience of young manx shearwater fledglings using my head
as a launching platform for their flying practice. During the day I’ve had the
opportunity to get close up to some newborn seal pups, including abseiling down
onto an otherwise inaccessible beach to mark some pups with spray paint! I’ve
been able to learn new skills too, like how to drive a tractor and use a scythe.
My newly acquired scything skills were put to good use, and with the help of
some hard working volunteers the history trail is now cleared and accessible
again.
At the end of the year, it’s time to assess the disrepair that a busy season has caused, and to start to get things ready for next year. A couple of weeks ago, the weather was so bad that there were no visitors on the island for a whole week. Volunteers Sonia, Dave, Maggie and Geoff took advantage of this by getting stuck into lots of maintenance jobs. They fixed up the old assistant warden’s hut at the farm, including fitting the floor and some skirting boards – Geoff got a bit of a fright when a toad ambled out, unharmed, from behind a bit of skirting board he’d been hammering in! They also built an amazing new wood store, houses for the generator and for a water pump, and replaced a leaky hide roof. Down at the landing stage the steps were swept (though a naughty rabbit dug a hole the next night, covering the steps in an enormous mound of soil!), the sales point was re-roofed, and some new benches were made and fitted.
And
that’s not all! The volunteers also managed to find time for a reptile
transect, removing the old wind turbine, tidying the farm garden, dismantling
old boardwalk and more. They did an amazing amount of work, and really helped
get things sorted. I would like to thank them, and all the other wonderful
volunteers that I’ve met and worked with on Skomer so far - you are all fantastic, and
have really contributed not only to island tasks but to making my time here so
special. To anyone who’s considering volunteering on Skomer, whether for just a
week or longer term, go for it – you’ll have an amazing time and a truly
unforgettable experience.
Helen (long-term volunteer)
.JPG) |
| A Skomer vole |
.JPG) |
| This seal pup is less than 24 hours old |
.JPG) |
| Helping out with manx shearwater research |
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| Scything the history trail |
At the end of the year, it’s time to assess the disrepair that a busy season has caused, and to start to get things ready for next year. A couple of weeks ago, the weather was so bad that there were no visitors on the island for a whole week. Volunteers Sonia, Dave, Maggie and Geoff took advantage of this by getting stuck into lots of maintenance jobs. They fixed up the old assistant warden’s hut at the farm, including fitting the floor and some skirting boards – Geoff got a bit of a fright when a toad ambled out, unharmed, from behind a bit of skirting board he’d been hammering in! They also built an amazing new wood store, houses for the generator and for a water pump, and replaced a leaky hide roof. Down at the landing stage the steps were swept (though a naughty rabbit dug a hole the next night, covering the steps in an enormous mound of soil!), the sales point was re-roofed, and some new benches were made and fitted.
 |
| Geoff and Dave building the generator house |
 |
| The finished construction |
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| All hands on deck building the wood store |
 |
| Fixing the sales point |
Helen (long-term volunteer)