Island‘s spring is helped by winter work
Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth as nature emerges from the dark days of winter and nowhere is this more apparent than on Skomer island, the jewel of the West Wales Coast.
Skomer, lying less than a mile off the Pembrokeshire coast, is home to an incredible variety of plants and animals both on land and in the sea.
The island which is owned by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales (WTSWW), is home to the largest breeding puffin colony in southern Britain and the world’s largest population of Manx shearwater estimated at up to almost 350,000 pairs.
The waters around Skomer are brimming with marine life; Atlantic grey seals basking in their hundreds on the beaches, porpoise, dolphins, and even whales rising above the waves can all be seen at this time of year.
On land, the island is home to the Skomer vole, a subspecies of the Bank vole, which is unique to Skomer, and rabbits graze the island helping to maintain plant diversity.
So, it would appear Mother Nature has everything in hand as the island springs into life, but during the winter she received some help from a team led by NRW’s South West Integrated Engineering Team alongside the WTSWW and engineering contactors to make vital improvements to the island’s infrastructure before the start of the breeding season.
NRW Senior Civil Engineer James Brock, takes up the story:
“Skomer, has been owned by Natural Resources Wales and its previous legacy bodies since 1959, and is currently leased to the WTSWW.
“The island, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Wales’ only Marine Nature Reserve, is home to a small team of WTSWW wardens and volunteers who live on the island from March to November each year to protect and monitor its internationally important seabird populations.
“Our job was to upgrade the narrow, weather-damaged access track leading from the North Haven slipway which is an essential route for transporting supplies and materials needed by staff.”
Due to the island’s exposed location, sections of the track had become severely eroded and dangerously close to the cliff edge, creating significant challenges for safe vehicle movements. Under the terms of the existing lease NRW is responsible for certain infrastructure on the island.
In less environmentally sensitive locations work would be carried out during the warmer more settled times of the year but Skomer’s narrow ecological window to minimise the impact on nesting seabirds meant the task had to take place during February.
James said:
“We began work on 7 February; we had to widen the track, install effective drainage, and form an edge-protection bund.
“Delivering this work posed major logistical challenges as plant, equipment, and materials had to be transported by barge and both the construction team and I stayed on the island for two weeks to complete the project.
“During that period, we only had five or six good days in which to work and even after completion had to stay on the island an extra couple of days until 22 February. as the weather was too bad for us to leave.”
As well as the hazardous nature of the work and the wild winter weather, the project was further complicated by the delicate natural infrastructure of the island.
James added:
“We had to tread a fine line between ensuring the work was carried out safely and protecting the landscape for the wildlife. I worked closely with Chris Lawrence, Environment Team Senior Officer during the design to limit the impacts of the scheme. This meant using biodegradable materials, avoiding plastics and ensuring we didn’t bring any invasive species on to the island in our kit.
“Luckily, we had special help with this in the form of a specially biosecurity-trained spaniel who was able to sniff out any rats that might have been hiding in the machinery and materials, which would cause an environmental disaster on the island.
“I would like to thank the team, who worked with me on Skomer; Aled Thomas, Anthony Evans, Carwyn Jenkins and Tomos Edwards of principal contractor EJ Thomas and Sons; Dilwyn Sanderson-Jones of rope access specialists Bodacc Ltd, Gareth Reynolds of Dale Sailing who got us and our equipment on and off the island and last but not least, Skomer warden Leighton Newman.
“Spending two weeks on a windswept island in the depths of winter is made easier when you’re with a team of professionals.”
Each summer, Skomer is host to 25,000 visitors who marvel at the abundance of wildlife, if you are one of them spare a thought for the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes, often in the most inhospitable circumstances to ensure the island remains a wildlife paradise.