Small islands – big responsibility

These birds, which have over-wintered across the globe in destinations as far as South America, return to Northern Europe year on year for the summer breeding period. Wales hosts many of these species in large numbers on its small islands, particularly those off Pembrokeshire, where birds will nest on its surface, burrow underground or cling to its cliff edges.

Welsh islands

The small islands of Ramsey, Skomer, Skokholm, and Bardsey, to name a few, all play a vital role in supporting thousands of migratory seabirds each year. The islands are located close to the mainland and provide easy access to a plentiful supply of food such as sardines, sandeels, sprats and herring crucial to sustaining the population as they breed over the summer. Wales is thought to host around half the world’s population of Manx shearwater alone whilst also supporting the iconic puffin, guillemot and razerbill amongst others.   

The mammoth journey

So where do these magnificent birds go? Well, many that visit Wales are true ocean-going seabirds who spend the majority of their time at sea outside of the breeding period. The Manx shearwater is one of the top travellers, covering thousands of miles per year. After the breeding season finishes in Wales, they cross the Atlantic Ocean before heading to South America and returning to Wales the following spring.

A photographers' dream

Capturing the perfect shot of a puffin diving at sea or making a clumsy landing back at its burrow is a dream for many. However, it is not always necessary to visit Wales' small islands to witness these charismatic seabirds. Often when migratory seabirds first arrive in Wales, they may not head straight to the islands and you may see them standing on a distant headland or rocky outcrop recovering and re-energising.

Later in the summer once the fledgelings have left their colonies, they may well spend some time at sea or move to other areas of Wales as they feed before making their mammoth journeys back for the Winter. So as you walk along the coast, even in towns and villages, take a few moments to pause and have a look.  

The challenges

With so many of migratory seabirds densely packed into tight colonies often overlapping with other species, inevitably there will be challenges.

Human activities

Our migratory seabirds have always faced competition from human activities for centuries, including the threat of displacement, human consumption and fishing. Thankfully these threats are now significantly reduced as many of Wales’ islands are now managed reserves and human activities have adapted to an extent that their threat is reduced for most migratory seabird species.

However, there are new challenges from human activities in the form of renewable energy development. Whilst we should embrace the development of renewable energy as we strive to address our nature and climate emergency, it is important that we learn and understand the unintentional consequences that could impact our migratory seabirds and how we respond to them.

Island biosecurity

Undoubtedly one of the main challenges for all Welsh islands, is maintaining predator free island status, particularly with the threat from brown rats. These animals can arrive as stowaways in boxes through to shipwrecks and even physically swimming across to some islands. They have the capability to multiply quickly and ravage through burrowing colonies in particular.   

More recently, the significant threat to seabirds has been from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as “Avian Flu”, which has unfortunately devastated many species of migratory seabirds, including gannet, with the Welsh population thought to have reduced by up to 50% in recent years. Avian Flu, is global and new variations could develop anywhere and transfer between species as they migrate. Alternatively, the Avian Flu variant could stay put and only impact species as they pass through that particular geographical area.

The dense colonies found on Welsh islands often mean Avian Flu could quickly spread and move to other colonies via vector species such as the gull family which are known to disrupt and/or predate on some species of migratory seabird. To this day, scientists are still trying to understand the full impacts of Avian Flu. 

Working together to support our small islands and our migratory seabirds

There is much more you can do to help support our small islands and our migratory seabirds in Wales. Here are some ideas of how you can get involved.

• Volunteer – undoubtedly one of the biggest things you can do is give up some of your free time to volunteer. Try joining a local conservation group or reach out to one of the larger charitable organisations who could really use your support.

• Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints – heed any local advice or warnings, do not disturb these birds and take any litter home – but please do take a photograph.

• Education – talk to others about our small islands and our migratory seabirds. Raise awareness of their importance and share your knowledge.

• Citizen science – consider citizen science projects. There are many useful mobile apps or websites which allow you to count, photograph and record any findings you observe, whilst visiting these areas.

By taking these simple steps you can do your bit to support our precious and iconic migratory seabirds as they visit Wales’ small islands this summer. Whether you are an avid bird watcher, someone who enjoys the natural environment, or just someone who is keen to be outdoors, please do take some time to appreciate our small islands and the mighty role they play year on year, hosting Wales’ migratory seabirds. Don't forget to tag us in your photos.