Puffins are adorable and cute. I've always wanted to have a close encounter with puffins so this year I decided to make the journey to Skomer island off the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales. To get to see the puffins on Skomer Island, go to Martin's Haven to catch the boat for a short 15 - 20 minute boat ride to the puffin colony. To see these small delightful birds flying like bullets over the boat back to their burrows, watching them floating on the sea and interacting on the rocks. Seeing them collecting grass and other vegetation to line the burrows in is a sight to behold. I couldn't get over how small puffins are. They are so intrepid and determined in succeeding in bringing forth new life on this small island just off the Welsh coast.
Arriving at the car park, full of anticipation. Quick look at how many cars are in the car park and then the short stroll down to the beach. Relief!! Not many people waiting - perhaps 30 - 40. Not a long wait to board the boat though for the 20 minute trip over to the island. 50 passengers at a time. As I get nearer the island, slowly but surely more and more birds start to fly over. Wow, they go so fast. As the boat comes in to berth at the jetty puffins are chilling in the sea, preaning on the rocks by the landing area, watching the new visitors with calm indifference. A bit of a climb now up the cliff to the path leading over to the Wick where the puffins have chosen to built the vast majority of their burrows. Taking the path along South Stream Valley and Welsh Way gives fabulous views of the puffins as the come into land with their bills full of sand eels and great numbers taking off out to sea again. There are puffins standing on the slopes amongst the grass looking up to the skies as if waiting for their mates to arrive back. On the down side though, there are a lot of gulls just waiting for the puffins to come back and mob them for their catch. Carrying onto the Wick, you get a good view of the burrows and really close encounters of the birds as they come and go about their business. It's amazing the speed at which they land and disappear down into their burrows out of the gull's way. Of course, the island doesn't only support the puffin. There are also razorbills, guillemots, chough, manx shearwaters, seals on the beach, bluebells if you go there early enough and red campion after the bluebells. Skylarks are every where and a whole host of other small birds. All too soon though the four hours that you have there is gone and it's time to go back to the boat again.
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