Tuesday 27 January 2015

2014 Bird Reports

Jason Moss, our extremely hard working Assistant Warden in 2014 has produced an excellent Bird Report for last year which is packed full of information on our breeding birds and accounts of all of the migrants that were recorded last year. It, and last years full Seabird Report, are available by clicking here.

There were many highlights from the 2014 season including four first records for the island and four that were recorded for only the second time.

Many thanks to Jason for his time and help producing this report and we look forward to seeing him again in the coming season.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Friends reunion 2015

The annual get together of the Friends of Skokholm and Skomer is coming up, on the 15th of Feb, at the Tithe Barn, Chelternham. Meeting at 10:30 for coffee before a day cram packed with great talks and a light hearted look at the islands past, present and future.  



Friends of Skokholm& Skomer Annual Reunion
The Tithe Barn; Cheltenham Road Bishop's Cleeve, GL52 8LU
15th February 2015

PROGRAMME

Morning session.
Chair: Steve Sutcliffe 

10.30am          Arrive: tea/coffee and cake

11.00am          Welcome, admin, announcements      Renate Thome

11.05am          Update from the Trust                          Sarah Kessell CEO

11.15am          The Skomer Year                                 Skomer Assistant Warden, Jason

11.45am          The Skokholm Year                             Skokholm Wardens, Richard & Giselle

12.15am          TBA

12.45pm          LUNCH -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:45pm            Raffle

1.55pm            Annual General Meeting

Afternoon session.
Chair: Holly Kirk

2.10pm                        Manx shearwater Navigation                Ollie Padget – Oxford University
                         
2.40pm                        Guillemot Social Behaviour                Elspeth Kenny - Sheffield University
                                   
3.00pm                        The Archives Project                          Steve Sutcliffe & Carol Collins

3.20pm                        Wildlife of the British Isle                     AV talk TBC

3.50pm                        Summing up                                        Tim Healing

4.00pm                        Tea/coffee and cakes

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Booking form for the Friends of Skokholm & Skomer Annual Reunion
Year 31
Sunday 15th February 2015

Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Email: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Tel no: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cost £ 18 per person payable to:  ‘The Friends of Skokholm and Skomer’
Acknowledgment of booking will be by email or please send a SAE for a receipt
Please return form to:
Carol Collins, Church End, 61 Main Street Kinoulton Nottinghamshire NG12 3EL

Tel 01949 81798 (looks short but is correct) Email: carol.w.collins@talk21.com

Monday 12 January 2015

Voluntary research assistantship in seabird behaviour & ecology Skomer Island & University of Oxford

Oxford University is advertising for a Voluntary Research Assistant for the 2015 season:



We are looking for an enthusiastic, hardworking young biologist to work as a voluntary Research Assistant to help with our pelagic seabird research on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in Spring and Summer 2015. The work will involve several research projects coordinated by Prof Tim Guilford at Oxford’s Department of Zoology (see the OxNav website). We utilise state-of-the art tracking technologies (miniature GPS, geolocators, time-depth recorders & on-board video) on several species (Manx Shearwaters, Atlantic Puffins, Common Guillemots, Razorbills). Most work will involve assisting doctoral students with the day-to-day maintenance of the study burrows, weighing and monitoring breeding birds and their chicks, and the deployment and retrieval/downloading of tracking devices. It will also involve entering data collected in the field into appropriate databases. There will be a significant amount of nocturnal work, since the primary study species is the Manx Shearwater, which only arrives at the colony after dark. There will also be scope for involvement in other conservation and ecological projects on the island, which is a National Nature Reserve administered by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.