Skomer Island: Record number of puffins recorded

More than 42,000 puffins have been recorded on Skomer Island

A record-breaking number of puffins have been counted on and around Skomer Island, off Pembrokeshire.

The first count of the year earlier this week clocked 42,513 birds, the highest since the island counts began in the late 1980s.

March and April marks the start of the annual migration of puffins to the Welsh wildlife spot.

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales said the number marks an "excellent start to the season".

The figure follows a previous record of 38,896 counted in April 2022.

Leighton Newman, a warden on Skomer Island, said: "We're fairly sure that the increase on Skomer is down to the breeding on Skomer for the past however many years.

"We've got good productivity and good adult survival between years as well."

Mr Newman explained that the team waits for a calm day and then splits the island into seven sections for the count.

"We go round with a clicker and we count all of the birds on land, all of the birds on sea, and all the birds in the air," he said.

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However, Mr Newman added on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast it is becoming an "increasingly difficult task" as number rise.

"My view right now is overlooking North Haven, where the boats come in, and there are just over 10,000 in this bay alone. So it's becoming increasingly difficult - a long evening with a clicker by your side."

Skomer Island puffins recently featured on David Attenborough's Wild Isles programme.

"It's fantastic. The UK holds a huge percentage of the world's population of seabirds, so it's just really nice to highlight that," said Mr Newman.

Puffins migrate to Skomer to breed in the spring

"Marine birds on Skomer are the top predators of the environment, and they give you a really good indication of the health of the sea as well."

He said the puffins on Skomer will be feeding within about 37 miles (60km) of the island.

"So we know if they are bringing in lots of fish and there are lots of them producing chicks every year, the seas are healthy around Skomer, and that data is really vital," he said.

When can I see puffins on Skomer?

Puffins begin to arrive on Skomer and neighbouring island Skokholm from March to April. They start by building nests but still spend much of their time out at sea.

Puffins are loyal to one another, each year mating with the same bird and producing one chick.

Both parents incubate their egg for between 36 and 45 days, and then the island becomes even busier.