Puffins At Skomer - Advice Please

Lindsay D said:
I briefly spoke to another photographer a few weeks ago and he said that there is an island in the middle of the Bristol Channel where there are plenty of Puffins - and no cliffs whatsoever. Does anyone know what place he might have been referring to?
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Lundy - its owned by the Trust, theres still cliffs though, you need cliffs for puffins

The other recomendation i'd make would be Skokholm (the island next to Skomer) - its in private hands so while you can book it for workshops theres no public access so you don't get randoms messing up your shots ( I did a week long trip there with wild arena in '07 - got some fantastic pictures, and a black eye from a manx shear water flying into the end of my 70-200 f2.8 in the dark )

Bridge wise if you don't want to cross the severn bridge you could go up to gloucester and cross the severn there - though it does add miles to the trip
 
That said - if you are running the workshop you presumably wouldnt be doing much shooting yourself so you wouldn't need to get that close to the edge - I'd assume you main role would be to advise delegates how to get the shots they want etc
 
kendo1 said:
Those are just steps, this is a cliff:
(my niece, Rachel in Oz)
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Or the top of a waterfall in Wales?
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It's not really as close as it seems, as theres a slight drop to another 8 feet or so to the edge
 
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is that pistyll rheadr ? - gtreat venue, but not one Lindsay would like (being in private hands they are less inclined to safety fences etc than a lot of places)
 
Lindsay D said:
Pete, thank you very much indeed for the information and for telling me about the other island - I will look into that. I'll have a look at Lundy to see how high the cliffs are, relatively speaking.
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the answer to that is not as tall as skomer , but still pretty damn tall - as i recall they are more apprupt and don't have the gentle downslope (for idiots like me to slide down head first) before the sheer drop

if you don't want an island theres mainland options mainly on the east coast such as bempton or St Abbs , but again you've got cliffs - Puffins pretty much have to have cliffs as they need to launch themselves into space

if your freind is talking about an island without cliffs he/she may have mean Ramsey which is off St Davids on the pembrokeshire coast , and has virtually no cliff on three sides (big cliff on the western side only) - however despite being very interesting (breeding chough - its an RSPB site) its not known for puffins in the same way as Skokholm/Skomer etc
 
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I've been enjoying the Lundy website but there was a picture of some Puffins on the opening page and they were perched right on the edge of a sheer precipice. My hands are sweating from seeing that picture. Yes, in hindsight the cliffs on Lundy are much too steep and abrupt. Oh dear.
 
Big Andy said:
Unless things have changed this year you can only visit Skokholm for a Friday-Monday visit or Monday-Friday which are great but no one day trips.
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Thats probably correct - although i was there Friday - wednesday after getting stranded by bad weather. tbh you can't do an island like that in one day anyway - if i were running a workshop i'd definitely want multi days
 
Lindsay D said:
I've been enjoying the Lundy website but there was a picture of some Puffins on the opening page and they were perched right on the edge of a sheer precipice. My hands are sweating from seeing that picture. Yes, in hindsight the cliffs on Lundy are much too steep and abrupt. Oh dear.
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bear in mind that those puffins may be sat on inaccesible cliffs and shot with a long lens - unless you really want a 8mm fish eye shot of a puffin you don't have to get that close to the edge yourself.
 
big soft moose said:
Thats probably correct - although i was there Friday - wednesday after getting stranded by bad weather. tbh you can't do an island like that in one day anyway - if i were running a workshop i'd definitely want multi days
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Where do you stay overnight?
 
Have a look here Lindsay D.You will like this.:rolleyes: Off topicish but interesting for those who have not seen it.

 
If your aversion is as severe as you describe neither Skomer or Skokholm will work for you. They both involve stairs with an open side to get up onto the island and then the puffins are usually best where you have an easy view of the cliffs. They are superb though and worth seeing- in fact you can shoot them wide angle without really bothering them, they just wander up to you. At one point in the 2012 TP Skomer trip one ended up in a lens hood attached to a big telephoto!

Perhaps you might consider some sort of treatment for this issue- it sounds rather extreme if it is triggered off by crossing bridges.
 
shapeshifter said:
Where do you stay overnight?
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on Skokholm there's accomodation in the old farm house, on Lundy there's 26 self catering cottages, I don't know about skomer as ive never stayed there (I prefer skokholm given the choice), but i know they were renovating some of the farm buildings last time i was there so i'd guess its possibe.

Power is the biggest issue as on skokholm theres only a wind generator for essentials which doesnt include camera batteries, so you need to take a shedload of batteries with you if you are out there for any serious length of time (by the end of my 6 day stay i was using my AA tray and the batteries that usually go in my flashgun)
 
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Power is the biggest issue as on skokholm theres only a wind generator for essentials which doesnt include camera batteries, so you need to take a shedload of batteries with you if you are out there for any serious length of time (by the end of my 6 day stay i was using my AA tray and the batteries that usually go in my flashgun)[/QUOTE]

The charging situation on Skokholm has now improved Pete, they have a bank of solar panels to back up the wind generator, you can even have lights on now although you must not waste it.
 
Big Andy said:
The charging situation on Skokholm has now improved Pete, they have a bank of solar panels to back up the wind generator, you can even have lights on now although you must not waste it.
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Well hurrah - time to go visit again ( I havent been to the welsh islands since 2008 , since moving to Devon I've been getting my puffin fix on Lundy - although actually I'm going to Skomer this summer just for a day trip)

When i was there the only lights were a huricane lantern in each room
 
Do people live on these islands or do you take a tent or something? Five nights with hardley any power! how do you eat or cook?
 
As i said above theres farm house accomodation on skokholm and i think skomer - the only full time residents are the wardens. Lundy has a small community on it plus a shedload of self catering accom (Lundy also has power from generators - its tamer than the welsh islands and less likely to get cut off)

Cooking wise Skokholm had an oil fired rayburn when i was there - but i think its gone to gas now (easier to transport gas bottles than heating oil) , theres also logburners in the accom
 
Sounds like a right adventure.I have just looked at a website about Lundy.It's a lot further away from the mainland than the other two islands mentioned.Do the puffins go to Lundy in as many numbers as the other islands?
Another question do the puffins on ANY of the islands collect on the northern side so that the sun is behind the tog?
 
in a word yes -lundy is heaving with puffins at the right time of year - though its not as undisturbed as the welsh islands - also while its further from the mainland its also in the bristol channel so not as prone to storms as the welsh coast

For those not wanting to do boats etc you get a fair few puffs at Bempton (yorks) or St Abbs (scotland but only just)

The true puffin capital of the world though is Iceland - although they eat them as well , which can be a bit disturbing :(
 
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Skomer accommodates sixteen paying guests, six week-long volunteers, a handful of long-term volunteers/researchers and the warden+spouse. It's all located in the central farm buildings except for the warden's lodge that overlooks the landing point. Skomer being the more important island had it's buildings refurbished first and I believe Skokholm is still a work in progress; unlike Skomer, I believe Skokholm still doesn't have a shower!

I've been to Skomer twice (2013, 2014) and my first stay on Skokholm this year; it's fair to say I've been hooked!
 
The W said:
, I believe Skokholm still doesn't have a shower!
!
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well, it does (or did) but it was outside and based on a bucket and hosepipe system - fine in july, but less enjoyable in winter (and yes i know you wouldnt be shooting puffins in winter anyway)
 
I'd never heard of Skomer until I found this thread - and now I have a new place on my travel wishlist!
 
big soft moose said:
The true puffin capital of the world though is Iceland - although they eat them as well , which can be a bit disturbing :(
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In abundance, floating in the harbour, all over the place. I've eaten puffin there, a very dark red meat, was served with beatroot. Very tasty
 
shapeshifter said:
Sounds like a right adventure.I have just looked at a website about Lundy.It's a lot further away from the mainland than the other two islands mentioned.Do the puffins go to Lundy in as many numbers as the other islands?
Another question do the puffins on ANY of the islands collect on the northern side so that the sun is behind the tog?
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Just a thought and very off topic: when photographing black and white birds like puffins the best results are obtained in even light (eg light cloud). Otherwise you get contrast problems. Either your blacks are good or your whites!
 
The W said:
Skomer accommodates sixteen paying guests, six week-long volunteers, a handful of long-term volunteers/researchers and the warden+spouse. It's all located in the central farm buildings except for the warden's lodge that overlooks the landing point. Skomer being the more important island had it's buildings refurbished first and I believe Skokholm is still a work in progress; unlike Skomer, I believe Skokholm still doesn't have a shower!

I've been to Skomer twice (2013, 2014) and my first stay on Skokholm this year; it's fair to say I've been hooked!
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Skomer is the only island you can do on a day trip. It can be packed out with day visitors for that reason, even if you're staying overnight. Although on Mondays (no day trips) or between 5pm and 10 am it's only the overnight visitors there.

Skokholm is more difficult to get to. As said earlier it's either Monday-Friday or Friday-Monday, although I believe last year it was full weeks only during peak season (spring/early summer). Consequently you will never get more than about 15 people there at any time of the day. It's fabulous!

With reference to the OP, both islands are ringed with cliffs, unfortunately.
 
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I think, sadly, if Lindsay has such a fear of heights that just getting on the boat will be a problem for her never mind getting up the steps from the landing stage.

I've got a couple of nights on Skomer this year. Really looking forward to seeing the island without the 250 odd day visitors on it. Wasn't easy to get a booking though. The increase in professionals offering workshops on the island compared with several years ago means its harder to get a stay in the prime time. Must admit I wonder if these workshops go through the normal channels as does everyone else or if they are given first chance because they book all of the accomodation.
 
Trust members do get to book a week earlier, and there is a mad rush of phone calls at 8am on that day. It's why I joined up.
 
Been a member for years but I started phoning when it opened for bookings last year and spent 90 minutes doing nothing other than redial before I got through. I'm wondering how these workshops can offer dates and take bookings prior to the bookings actually opening for the island.

I'm lucky its only 10 miles for me so I can go anytime but I'm sceptical about how many spaces are actually available on the island when it opens for bookings.
 
jerry12953 said:
Skomer is the only island you can do on a day trip. It can be packed out with day visitors for that reason, even if you're staying overnight. Although on Mondays (no day trips) or between 5pm and 10 am it's only the overnight visitors there.

Skokholm is more difficult to get to. As said earlier it's either Monday-Friday or Friday-Monday, although I believe last year it was full weeks only during peak season (spring/early summer). Consequently you will never get more than about 15 people there at any time of the day. It's fabulous!

With reference to the OP, both islands are ringed with cliffs, unfortunately.
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Skomer is never packed as the severely limit the numbers on the island, mainly because the boat doesn't carry many and only makes a few trips.
 
Well you can get localized congestion when all 250 day trippers make a beeline for the same ten metres of The Wick. That and the higher sun means that's time to head back to the farmyard for lunch.
 
I think I will give it a miss now, it sounds like a mad scramble. It looks like Iceland then.:eek:
 
shapeshifter said:
I think I will give it a miss now, it sounds like a mad scramble. It looks like Iceland then.:eek:
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It's not to bad when you get the first boat over, do the wick then move on before more boat loads arrive. Yes I agree stopping there is better but if you don't have the time/cash for that type of trip then you can still enjoy the one day visit.

I do prefer Skokholm though, five days stuck on an island with a small group of like minded people is the way to do it. I'll probably organise another TP trip there again next year, but I'm doing Iceland myself this year.
 
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