Exploring Skokholm Island
Back in June of 2023 I was presented with the exciting opportunity to spend a week on Skokholm island, assisting rangers with Seabird conservation and filming the wide array of wildlife. Our group was made up of undergrad biology students, lecturers, PhD students and four members of the MA Wildlife documentary Production course (myself, Saffron, Anoop and Jake). After an incredibly early start, Saff drove Anoop and I down to the Welsh coast and despite the tight squeeze, Anoop remained all smiles in the back of the car. When we arrived, we then loaded everyone’s kit and food onto the boat before embarking on the rather rocky boat trip over to Skokholm.
Even before we stepped foot off the boat, I was stunned at the beauty of the landscape and the diversity of the wildlife in and around the island. The species most associated with the islands of Skokholm and Skomer is the Puffin. These small birds were everywhere, flying around the cliffs, catching sand eels (above) and running in and out of their underground burrows. Down by the sea, Grey Seals lounged on rocks (below) or bobbed around in the water, watching our boat pull into the bay. I’ll never forget the look of excitement plastered across every face on that boat, and my own feeling of amazement at the incredible experience that was just beginning.
Having located our rooms, unpacked our kit and made some dinner, we then all headed down to the cliffs to watch the sunset and capture our first clips/images of the wildlife (below). In the evenings we’d chat with the rangers and all play games together, glass of wine in hand, sharing experiences from our exploration of Skokholm. As the evening was winding down, us four MA students would head back to our rooms where we created the appropriately named ‘Skippers Club’, to continue the party (unfortunately I am legally bound from sharing any stories from inside the club itself).
After that, each day progressed in a similar fashion but somehow seemed more exciting than the last. Every morning we’d get up before sunrise, walk to the cliffs and capture the sun rising over the ocean. After a quick breakfast, we’d spend the rest of the morning either filming or monitoring the seabirds as volunteer rangers. After lunch we’d head back out to a new location for filming or monitoring and then after dinner, we’d return to the cliffs to watch the sunset. Once the sky was dark, we’d go out with infrared cameras to film the birds or set up our GoPros to capture time lapses of the stars moving across the sky. I wouldn’t like to guess how much sleep we managed to get that week, but each waking moment was worth it and it truly was an unforgettable experience.
Slow Worm
Storm Petrel
Other wildlife on the island included Storm petrels, which the island rangers are monitoring in an effort to learn more about their behaviour and conserve their population. Through the aptly named ‘Petrel Station’ built by the Rangers themselves, we were able to watch a few breeding pairs tending to eggs in their nests and exhibiting interesting nesting behaviour (above). Manx shearwater are another seabird who’s population is being monitored and I was able to catch a glimpse of these too using infrared cameras (thanks Anoop and Jake!). I also had my very first experience with Slow worms (above), an intriguing native legless lizard, and learnt lots about their behaviour and biology (thanks Holly).
Skokholm was also the first place where I tried snorkelling. Although it took me a while to adjust to the sensation and despite being stung by a Compass Jellyfish, I had so much fun swimming in the sea, watching the seals pass underneath me and the Puffins glide along the surface of the waves. I’ve got so much footage from this trip and I’m excited to put it all together in a short film that I’m hoping to release very soon!
Overall, Skokholm was a fantastic experience and I’d highly recommend a trip to the island for any wildlife enthusiasts. It was incredible to be able to spend every day outdoors, surrounded by wildlife and I appreciated being able to see the hard work of the Rangers and volunteers. This trip really helped me to hone my film making skills, experience seabird monitoring and further fuelled my passion for wildlife conservation. A massive thanks to Jamie Gundry for organising the trip and thank you to everyone who made it such a wonderful experience.
