Wildlife

A trip to Skomer Island

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A trip to Skomer Island last week. I'd not been over to Skomer for a good few years so it was lovely to get the boat over and go and visit some of our feathered neighbours. There's so much wildlife to see on and around the island but at this time of year the puffins are no doubt the main attraction. It's easy to take for granted due to the fact that the island is just a short boat ride away but it really is a special place and going to see the puffins is an incredible wildlife experience. There's not many places on the planet that you can get so close to an animal population and watch them go about their business literally at your feet; wandering around, socialising, greeting partners with a tap of beaks, hunting and returning with a beak full of sand eels and toing and froing from their burrows; it's fascinating and of course they're pretty cute too!

We saw over 20 species on our visit which included common local sightings but also the resident short eared owl which was a treat. The razorbills and guillemots tend to be harder to photograph as they nest in areas that are a little less accessible. Greater black backed gulls watching proceedings from elevated vantage points are a reminder that many of the animals on the island are vulnerable to these predators. They will attack the nocturnal manx shearwaters that nest in their tens of thousands on the island. Also nesting in burrows, they emerge at night and so in the day the only reminder that they are there are the thousands of burrows and the carcasses of those that have been picked off by the gulls.

We were also lucky enough to coincide our visit with the red campion being in full bloom. Having missed the bluebells by a couple of weeks it was lovely that the backdrop to our visit was the bright pink campion and the vibrant green of the young bracken.

Birds in flight

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There’s a local spot I like to sit of an evening. It overlooks the sea looking West towards Solva. Over the years I’ve noticed the gulls that habitually make their way along the coast in the evening. I presume they are heading back to where they spend the night. The small outcrop I sit atop is a speed bump on their way and they will come quite close to the ground as they swoop over the top of my position. Some will fly farther out to sea and skirt around, whilst others will be more inland. It’s always been fascinating to watch their flight and a meditative experience to sit and wonder where they are going or where they have been. I’ve recently been getting used to using a long lens so have been able to get some images of their flight. Here’s a selection of the good ones. Mostly versions of the same shot but they only fly left to right from where I’m standing so apologies!

Technically it’s a tricky endeavor as holding a lens zoomed out to 600mm is tiring and trying to pan with the flight of the birds is a hit and miss exercise. Focusing on a small object moving speedily through the frame is a challenge despite the abilities of a modern camera. I’m learning that there is lots to the art of getting good wildlife images and can only doff my hat to those who capture great images of birds in flight.