Hello/Helo! Welcome back blog, it’s Grace, long-term volunteer here with my final blog, which sadly means my three months on Skomer are coming to an end. Before I say goodbye, I wanted to share some of the incredible experiences I've been lucky enough to be a part of since my last blog.
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| Watching the Guillemot chicks jumping from the cliff |
Since my last blog, I can now say that I have a brush cutter qualification! Since I've gained this I have been out and about fighting the never ending bracken that continues to wage war on our footpaths. Every time I use it I become more confident using the tool safely and responsibly, while always keeping the Island’s wildlife and habitats in mind.
The last few weeks have been full on for research and I've been grateful to be involved in so much of it!
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| Weighing a razorbill chick in the bag |
As you may know on Skomer we have over half the world’s population of Manx Shearwaters, roughly about 350,000 pairs which means lots and lots of burrows. A question you may have been wondering is how on earth do we count them all? Well we don't, but let me introduce you to the Manx Shearwater census. We have study plots all around the island, made up of burrows and we use speakers that play a Manx Shearwater call and place them in the entrance of each burrow. Male Manx Shearwaters are territorial around their burrows and often respond to another bird’s call. By placing a speaker at the entrance of each burrow and playing a recording, we can determine whether a burrow is occupied if we hear a response. We record the responses using clickers to keep track of occupied and unoccupied burrows. Getting down into the soil, close to the Manx Shearwater's world I found myself eagerly waiting for a call back. Hearing my first response was unforgettable, I was shocked by just how loud it was. Every call felt as though I was communicating directly with the bird, making a genuine connection and giving me a rare glimpse into the hidden world beneath my feet. Getting to do this research felt like I was being entrusted with such an important piece of the island and it gave me such a profound appreciation for the Manx Shearwater as a species.
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| Playing speakers into the burrows in my study segment |
A few weeks after this, I gained an even closer insight into the lives of Manx Shearwater when I was able to tag along with Sarah, Anna and Lena, members of the OxNav research team and assist them in the weighing of Manx shearwater chicks. This is something that is done everyday, starting from checking for eggs, and weighing them through to when they become chicks and they fledge. Manx shearwater chicks have one of the longest chick periods, in which it can take them 70 days to fledge. I was fortunate enough to take part in a few of these sessions and found myself getting very familiar and attached to these fluffy chicks, rooting for their success and hoping that they would still be in their burrows when I came back.
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Me holding a fluffy Manx Shearwater chick
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Manx Shearwater chick being weighed
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Let's talk about seabird counts, both a very important and busy period for Skomer island. These counts give an indication of how the Islands seabird colonies are changing over time and the data has often been used to help inform government policy. Counts were something I’d never really partaken in before or had a huge wealth of experience in. With seabird counts you set out to a spot on either the land or by boat and count a particular bird on the cliffs, using either a scope or binoculars. The main idea is that you reach a number within 10% of your counting partner. If not you must start again until you do. At first I struggled to keep track of where I’d counted on the cliffs and often lost my place. However, with practice I became more familiar with the landscape and started breaking the colonies into smaller sections. Before long, I was consistently achieving counts within 10% of my partner. And then we have the next step, boat counts! I found it difficult to count birds while on land, let alone the sea so this would be a big challenge. Once I was armed with seasick tablets, and gave myself time to get used to the motion of the boat, I was able to focus. Despite the difficulty of the counts and the boat swaying I was amazed to find that I managed to get a count within 10% of my partner. This process made me realise that I needed to give myself more time and grace when it comes to learning new things and that if I persevere at something, then I know I can for sure make progress.
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| Preparing to count seabirds |
When we had finished seabird counts, we were rewarded with an incredible trip to Grassholm Island. Home to 17,000 pairs of Northern Gannets, the island appears almost completely white from a distance. This trip was also a celebration and appreciation of the volunteers' contributions to the island, and we said goodbye to the amazing Lou (LTV) and Yaz (Seabird volunteer) a week after this.
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I've got to leave the best till last, and for me that's got to have been the ‘gull hunting’! I have no idea how invested I would end up getting into this research before doing so. By gull hunting I mean, researchers Duncan and Freya, had a mission to catch and ring 300 Lesser Black-blacked gulls across the Island. This ringing aimed to measure gull productivity and population size. Additionally as part of this project, we also needed to capture a few gull vomit samples that would be sent off to Bangor University for further research on the feeding patterns of gulls. When I first began, I really did struggle to find gulls. However as we moved on to the next plot, it seemed that gulls began to spring up all around me. Carefully picking my way through the bracken, I soon found myself eagerly searching for the telltale shape of a gull tucked amongst the vegetation. Each gull had its own personality, and I loved seeing the subtle differences between them. Watching Freya and Duncan handle and ring them so carefully was fascinating, and after a few sessions I was given the chance to ring my very first gull under supervision. It has to be one of the most interactive and memorable experiences of my time on Skomer.
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| Me holding a gull chick ready to be ringed |
However, as the cliffs start to empty and Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins begin to leave Skomer, it is also time for me to say goodbye.
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| A puffin sitting alongside it's Puffling |
To round up, my time on Skomer has been more rewarding than I ever imagined. The skills I’ve learnt, the people I’ve met and the wildlife I’ve been privileged to work alongside are memories I'll carry with me long after leaving the island.
Thank you for the memories
Farewell blog,
Grace Collett (LTV 2026)
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| Looking for Razorbill eggs on the cliffs |
