The final few days of the season were spent variously
cleaning, packing and refreshing the forecasts for wind and swell; hoping that
the promised weather windows would allow safe crossing and return of the boat
to Neyland. This November’s changeable forecast left us prepared to leave at a
few hours’ notice, eventually setting off on the morning of Monday 17th
for our return to the mainland.
In the following days there have been short sharp blasts of
hail and even snow, howling winds and unpredictable seas. As we sit in a warm
house with a plentiful supply of mince pies, looking out on the stormy weather,
we reflect that on this occasion we made the right call.
It’s been a hard few weeks for many of those connected to
the islands, with the recent loss of previous wardens Mike Alexander and Steve
Sutcliffe. Both were mammoth figures in the world of seabirds and conservation,
and their impact on Skomer will continue to resonate long into the future. We
and all the island teams before us owe a shared debt to both of them for their
support. They will be missed not only by the team but by all who have
benefitted from their kindness and their advice over the years. Memories of
both accompanied our final days on the island this year. Even as we wrangled
with the logistics of launching boats and trusting weather windows, we
reflected that it was a situation with which both would have been familiar.
...
The end of September saw a run of
poor weather. We made the most of closed days and a talented bunch of
volunteers for a fortnight’s practical works on the island – one week planned,
the other arising in a more ad hoc fashion. ‘You’re a carpenter, you say?’ By
the end of September, the visitor centre doors had been refurbished, Moorey
Mere hide had been ripped out and the dam reconcreted. The workshop was also refitted
with a new work bench, shelving, and a mezzanine that is a joy to behold. New steps at the welcome point, new
biosecurity boxes, larch cladding on the back of North Haven and a new
woodstore at the Farm… the list goes on. It was a phenomenal effort, and we are
very grateful to all who contributed their skills – and especially to the
cooks, Shirley and Ruth. A work party marches on its stomach.
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| Refurbished Mezzanine, adorned with gloves |
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| New larch cladding resplendent in the sunshine |
Early October brought sunshine and light winds, and we made the most of this weather window to try out a new potential work boat, kindly lent to us by Dale Sailing. We spent a couple of days getting a feel for how it would fare as an island vessel, with a final food shop, simulated seabird counts and even a man overboard drill, as Rob took the brave, wetsuit-clad plunge off its bow.
Whilst out on the boat we noted
the return of mauve stingers to the seas around Skomer. There must have been
ten thousand of these small ocean wanderers in North Haven – and as the name
suggests, they pack a punch. They also light up in the darkness, especially
when in disturbed waters. The four of us went down to the landing steps one calm
night and witnessed this remarkable spectacle.
Making the most of the same
weather window were the builders, Chris Ward and his merry men, who came on to
install new doors and skylights at the Farm.
Not long after this, the weather
turned. Rob, bound for two weddings, left in the last weather window on the
forecast. We battened down the hatches. The hatches were shaken…
Strong north westerlies saw the
island battered. Many seal pups met an uncertain fate, though the larger ones were
often able to make their way back to land, if not quite where they’d started
from. Offshore, the seas near Skomer saw Pembrokeshire’s most remarkable ever
passage of large shearwaters. Strumble Head had high day counts including 1,623
great shearwaters, 303 Cory’s and 144 sooties.
Three days and four sea-watches
later, the team had seen one sooty shearwater and one (unidentified) goose.
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| A 'sheltered' sea-watching spot |
The rain came. We were restricted largely to office work and lime pointing, whilst drying umpteen loads of washing in the hostel lounge, fire cranked up high. There may be some who do not find lime pointing tedious, but we can’t be said to be amongst them. Fortunately, we found a way to maintain team morale: banana bread and custard. We’d recommend it to all lime pointers.
A break in the weather meant we could get out into the fresh air – well, sort of. The sewage pipe running to the septic tank needed attention. We hoped perhaps we could reach it through the access hatch. Unfortunately, we couldn’t – a new hole was needed to the Farm side of the hatch. One tonne of soil later, access was gained and the pipe was almost replaced. There was only one problem. The other end. A moment’s shared silence. ‘We’re going to need to dig another hole, aren’t we?’
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| The hole was just the wrong depth |
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| Just keep digging |
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| The soil shifting continues |
Short days meant a lot of headtorch finishes, often getting through multiple batteries before the end of day. Cracking on with the long lists saw us tackling the rubbish shed, the new wall and mountain of soil next to the hut, plumbing outside taps, wrangling with dripping pipes, dismantling the old woodstore, and cutting the meadow beside the hostel.
As you tackle one job, it’s easy
to notice another. Perhaps the phrase of the autumn: ‘‘There’s been a bit of
mission creep…’
Autumn once again brought mice
into the buildings – in the workshop, screwdriver tops and hacksaw handles bore
suspicious grooves surrounded by celebratory confetti. At least they are enjoying
themselves... Recent works in the hostel had somehow left a crevice by which a
mouse could enter, the worst casualty being the seal to the new fridge. We patiently
constructed a box around the boiler and blocked the tiny holes in the kitchen
units. Counters all cleaned and disinfected, all possible sources of ingress
blocked, we cautiously declared the kitchen mouseproof. Five seconds later, a
mouse ran over Leighton’s foot.
Rather more welcome wildlife encounters included a flyover of crossbills on the 26th October, and several sightings of firecrests throughout the autumn. A crimson speckled moth fluttered onto the brambles beside the hostel on a wet 5th of November – resident in the Mediterranean and North Africa, it must have felt far from home.
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| Crimson speckled moth |
Three great egrets made a visit to
North Pond on the 9th November. One had a leg ring on it – a look at
the colour ringing website and a quick email revealed that it was ringed as a
nestling in May this year in Lithuania. A remarkable, if brief, visit - 1,100
miles for 11 minutes on Skomer.
A visitor from even further afield was one of the highlights of the season – a killdeer dropped into North Pond on the 6th of November, after a visit to neighbouring Skokholm the previous day. The nearest breeding grounds for this wader are the east coast of North America.
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| Killdeer leaving North Pond |
A great northern diver in South Haven on the 15th was a welcome surprise, whilst the spectacle of thousands of starlings streaming low over the farm on our final morning stopped us all in our tracks.
The final addition to the year list came on the day of
moving off – as we left the island, a flock of sea ducks rose above the
horizon; ten eiders. It is the first record since 2018. It seemed a fitting
farewell and conclusion to what has been a good year for migrants on Skomer.
We weren’t intending to have a big year… but we had a good
spring.
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| The Skomer team - Rob, Will, Leighton and Ceris |
