Record Number of Puffins Counted on Skomer Island Amid Global Decline

A record-breaking number of puffins has been recorded on Skomer Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire, even as global populations continue to decline.

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) counted 43,626 puffins on the island this year — the highest number ever recorded. The trust hailed the increase as a “conservation success story,” while cautioning that puffins remain a vulnerable species that still requires protection.

Skomer Island, managed by the WTSWW, spans just 2.92 sq km (1.13 sq miles) and lies less than a mile from the Welsh mainland. Its remote location helps protect the island’s wildlife from predators such as rats, cats, dogs, and foxes, as well as from human disturbances that affect mainland habitats.

In addition to its thriving puffin population, Skomer supports 350,000 breeding pairs of Manx shearwaters and thousands of guillemots and razorbills, making it one of the UK’s most important seabird colonies.

Each spring, WTSWW staff carry out a full seabird survey on the island to monitor returning breeding populations. Puffin counts are conducted by a dedicated team of six staff members during the early season, usually in the evenings.

“It’s quite a job,” said Rob Knott, visitor officer for Skomer Island.

“We split the island into sections and we go round about two hours before sunset when there’s the most on the land,” he said.

“We get our clickers out and we count all the ones on the land, then the sea and the ones in the air as well.”

Last year’s count, the previous record, stood at 42,513 puffins.

“We think [the counting accuracy] is probably within a few hundred or perhaps a thousand birds,” said Rob.

“Of course, that number is not going to be dead on the right number of puffins that are here, but because we do it in the same way every year and record those birds in the same way, it’s always been reported as the final number of that count that we do every year.”

While puffins are clearly flourishing on Skomer, their global situation is far more precarious. The species is listed as vulnerable to extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List due to threats including pollution, declining fish stocks, and climate change.

According to the WTSWW, the growth in Skomer Island’s puffin population is “likely linked to the abundance of food in the wider area, meaning there is plenty of fish for chicks resulting in high breeding success”.

The absence of predators on Skomer has been a key factor in the success of its seabird populations. The island welcomes around 25,000 visitors annually, many of whom are astonished by the sight of so many puffins.

However, Knott warned that new threats are emerging. He said that seabirds are now facing novel challenges, citing avian flu and the unusually warm marine conditions recently recorded around parts of the UK as growing concerns.

Despite these threats, the record numbers on Skomer offer a hopeful sign — and a reminder of the importance of dedicated conservation efforts in safeguarding vulnerable species.

“I think the monitoring work is absolutely vital, it informs how these seabirds are doing, particularly in this part of Wales but also on a wider scale in terms of how puffin numbers are doing throughout the UK,” he said.

“It helps us look towards policy on how these numbers can increase in the future.

“They’re doing well here, but we can point to this as a good example, there’s other places where these numbers are really going down quite rapidly.

“We’re quite cautiously optimistic about the numbers that we’re seeing.

“They’re absolutely iconic birds and the fact that they’re on the red list is wrong for so many reasons, not least, because they used to be absolutely thriving, so we’re doing what we can to try and improve those numbers.”

 

 

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