Latest news with #AtlanticPuffins
Western Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Western Telegraph
Record numbers of puffins on Pembrokeshire's Skomer Island
They are the who fly to the island to make it one of the best seabird sites in Britain. The island is renowned for its iconic Atlantic Puffins, who are particularly precious as their numbers are in decline in most of their habitats. But happily, that is not the case on Skomer. The island's recent annual Puffin Count has tallied 43,626 of the species, whose colourful and comical appearance has led them to be dubbed 'the clowns of the sea'. More Stories Skomer Island and the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales announced the results of the count in a recent Facebook post. And Skomer has 43,625 more puffins than this one! (Image: Amy Compton) They said: "The numbers are in and it's another record breaker! "We're thrilled to announce that 43,626 Puffins were recorded on Skomer Island as part of our annual Puffin Count. 'This count is no small undertaking, with six members of staff working to count every Puffin on Skomer. The island is broken up into seven sections and we systematically count every bird on the land, rafting on the sea and we estimate the number in the air during our counts. "Big land falls this year have led to Puffins being seen further up the cliffs than ever before! It's only a 20-minute sea voyage – operated by .Pembrokeshire Islands Boat Trips - from the mainland, but is so popular with visitors that there are no day trips bookable before July 25. (Image: Lucy Crockford) 'Although numbers are increasing on Skomer, they are a species under threat and are rapidly declining elsewhere. 'We are acutely aware of the threats facing these charismatic birds and we must do all we can to continue to protect them.' Alongside the Atlantic Puffins, the seabird population of Skomer includes nearly 350,000 breeding pairs of Manx Shearwaters, thousands of Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes and hundreds of Fulmars.
Irish Examiner
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Skellig Michael will not reopen to visitors due to legal challenge by boat operators
Skellig Michael, where some of the most iconic scenes of the recent Star Wars movies were filmed, will not reopen as scheduled this weekend because of a legal challenge by three boat operators whose permits were not renewed. The Office of Public Works (OPW), which manages the Unesco World Heritage Site island also known as Sceilg Mhicíl, said it sought to issue permits for 2025 despite an initial legal challenge, but there has been a further legal challenge this week. Guides have been specifically trained for the opening of the island along with maintenance and conservation crews and the OPW is 'acutely aware of the importance of the island to south Kerry', it said. Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in a scene shot on Skellig Michael from 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', one of two films in the franchise that used the Kerry island as a shooting location. Picture: Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm The delay is leading to fears that the south Kerry area will lose millions of euro in business this season. There have been calls for temporary permits to be issued to boat operators including to those who were unsuccessful. Villages claim they will be down hundreds of visitors this weekend alone because of cancellations. The Skellig Michael landing season — with boats from Portmagee, Derrynane, Ballinskelligs, and Valentia — operates between May and the third week of September each year. A maximum of 180 visitors a day is allowed land on the seventh century monastic island 11.5km off the Kerry coast. Skellig Michael boat permits for bringing passengers take into account sea vessel safety and restrictions on numbers visiting, as well as the unique and very challenging landing conditions on the fragile island which is both a heritage site and a special conservation area for birds. As well as being the location of a monastic settlement founded some 1,400 years ago, Skellig Michael off the coast of Co Kerry in Ireland is a special area of conservation for birds including Atlantic Puffins. The island is also a statutory nature reserve and forms part of Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan Some 15 boat landing permits are normally offered for five-year terms, to be renewed annually under a public tendering system. However, three operators whose permits were not renewed for 2025 have now taken a judicial review. Three other operators were selected but none of the approved 15 permits have been issued. Mark Conway, who runs the shop and post office in Portmagee, said south Kerry would expect to see 250 people arriving in the area on Saturday. The 180 people booked to visit the island would be accompanied by people who would wish to visit Valentia and other attractions, Mr Conway said. It's a blow to south Kerry. All of south Kerry including Killarney is affected. Bookings in B&Bs have been cancelled and pubs, restaurants, and coffee shops as well as shops were suffering, he claimed. Ideal weather conditions this weekend would compensate for later in the season when boats would not be able to run but those days are now lost completely, Mr Magee said. Rows over the awarding of permits to land on the Skellig have led to at least three legal actions in the past decade. Local TD and Fianna Fáil spokesman for tourism, Michael Cahill, has called for 'common sense to prevail' and allow the existing licensees plus the newly-appointed three to operate as normal for the season, 'even if judicial reviews are pending'. Andrea Paolucci and Giorgia Gallerani square off in Star Wars costumes at St Finian's Bay, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, with Skellig Michael and Skellig Beag in the distance. Tourism operators in the area point out that while access to the island itself is carefully limited, many tourists come just to see the island from villages and beaches along the coast. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan Permits could be issued allowing 18 boat operators this year with a reduction to 10 passengers per boat instead of the normal 12, he suggested. In a statement, the OPW said it had sought to issue permits. 'The OPW has lodged a motion before the High Court seeking permission to issue Sceilg Mhichíl boat operator permits for Summer 2025 to the successful applicants in a recent competition. "This follows a high court challenge from unsuccessful participants in the open competition to operate the boat licences. 'The OPW ran a competition in late 2024 to award 15 permits for summer 2025 and onwards. The number of permits is limited to protect the fragile ecosystem of Sceilg Mhicíl. 'In April 2025, two unsuccessful participants in the competition brought High Court proceedings challenging the outcome of the competition. "Under Irish and EU law, this means that the OPW is precluded from issuing permits for summer 2025, until the proceedings are resolved (or unless the court gives permission to issue permits).'
Scottish Sun
23-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
The wild UK islands nicknamed the ‘real-life Jurassic Park' – with such harsh conditions that all the residents left
Plus, another Scottish island described as 'Egypt of the North' OUT OF BOUNDS The wild UK islands nicknamed the 'real-life Jurassic Park' – with such harsh conditions that all the residents left ST KILDA, the Scottish archipelago, has been dubbed the "real-life Jurassic Park" because of its wild and rugged landscape. It's found in the remote Outer Hebrides of Scotland where an estimated million seabirds like gannets, Atlantic Puffins, and fulmars soar overhead. 4 St Kilda has been likened to Jurassic Park Credit: Alamy 4 There are a million seabirds on the archipelago Credit: Alamy The Telegraph, which gave it the dinosaur movie moniker, has also described St Kilda as "Tolkien-esque." It is also home to the UK's steepest cliffs, including Conachair, which stands at 1,411ft tall. To put that in perspective, the Shard in London is just 1,016 feet tall. The four islands that make up St Kilda, are the home of the UK's largest puffin colony, with an estimated 130,000 breeding pairs and one million seabirds in total. The archipelago has turned into a wildlife haven because no humans have lived there since 1930. St Kilda is around 100 miles off the Scottish mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it's thought that humans happily lived there for 2,000 years. One of those islands, and the biggest, is Hirta, where freshwater springs, fish, birds, crops, and other livestock made it possible to live on the island. But harsh weather conditions, and a turbulent terrain made life on Hirta difficult. The population on the island dwindled because of illness and crop failures. In 1930, only 36 residents lived on Hirta and they all opted to be resettled on the Scottish mainland. You can still see the remains of the settlement on the island. The tiny UK island you won't have heard of where only six people can stay at a time 4 You can still see the remains on the island of Hirta Credit: Alamy While no one actually lives on St Kilda, nor are there any shops or cafes, you can go on an organised trip. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "The dramatic rocks rising straight up from the sea and the birds perching on the rocky ledges, extraordinary." Another described it as being at "the end of the world." The best way to explore is on a Hebrides Cruises live-aboard adventure vessel that also offers whalewatching. Day trips run regularly from April to September, and occasionally into early October, depending on weather conditions. Hirta has one of the most remote campsites in the world which is run by the National Trust and costs £20 per pitch. Facilities include toilets, shower block and a fresh water drinking tap. But as there are no shops on Hirta, anyone wanting to visit will need to bring essentials - including a cooking stove and food. The ferry ride takes between three and six hours, but is very weather-dependent. So it's advised to bring extra supplies in case of big delays. Here are two Scottish islands named among world's best hidden gems. And this Scottish island dubbed 'Egypt of the North' has stunning sandy beaches and hidden tombs.
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
The wild UK islands nicknamed the ‘real-life Jurassic Park' – with such harsh conditions that all the residents left
ST KILDA, the Scottish archipelago, has been dubbed the "real-life Jurassic Park" because of its wild and rugged landscape. It's found in the remote Outer Hebrides of Scotland where an estimated million seabirds like gannets, Atlantic Puffins, and fulmars soar overhead. 4 St Kilda has been likened to Jurassic Park Credit: Alamy 4 There are a million seabirds on the archipelago Credit: Alamy It is also home to the UK's steepest cliffs, including Conachair, which stands at 1,411ft tall. To put that in perspective, the Shard in London is just 1,016 feet tall. The four islands that make up St Kilda, are the home of the UK's largest puffin colony, with an estimated 130,000 breeding pairs and one million seabirds in total. Read More on Scottish Islands The archipelago has turned into a wildlife haven because no humans have lived there since 1930. St Kilda is around 100 miles off the Scottish mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it's thought that humans happily lived there for 2,000 years. One of those islands, and the biggest, is Hirta, where freshwater springs, fish, birds, crops, and other livestock made it possible to live on the island. But harsh weather conditions, and a turbulent terrain made life on Hirta difficult. Most read in News Travel The population on the island dwindled because of illness and crop failures. In 1930, only 36 residents lived on Hirta and they all opted to be resettled on the Scottish mainland. You can still see the remains of the settlement on the island. The tiny UK island you won't have heard of where only six people can stay at a time 4 You can still see the remains on the island of Hirta Credit: Alamy While no one actually lives on St Kilda, nor are there any shops or cafes, you can go on an organised trip. One visitor wrote on Another described it as being at "the end of the world." Day trips run regularly from April to September, and occasionally into early October, depending on weather conditions. Hirta has one of the most remote Facilities include toilets, shower block and a fresh water drinking tap. But as there are no shops on Hirta, anyone wanting to visit will need to bring essentials - including a cooking stove and food. The ferry ride takes between three and six hours, but is very weather-dependent. So it's advised to bring extra supplies in case of big delays. Here are two Scottish islands named among world's best hidden gems. And this 4 Hirta Island forms part of the St Kilda archipelago Credit: Alamy
The Sun
23-04-2025
- The Sun
The wild UK islands nicknamed the ‘real-life Jurassic Park' – with such harsh conditions that all the residents left
ST KILDA, the Scottish archipelago, has been dubbed the "real-life Jurassic Park" because of its wild and rugged landscape. It's found in the remote Outer Hebrides of Scotland where an estimated million seabirds like gannets, Atlantic Puffins, and fulmars soar overhead. 4 4 The Telegraph, which gave it the dinosaur movie moniker, has also described St Kilda as "Tolkien-esque." It is also home to the UK's steepest cliffs, including Conachair, which stands at 1,411ft tall. To put that in perspective, the Shard in London is just 1,016 feet tall. The four islands that make up St Kilda, are the home of the UK's largest puffin colony, with an estimated 130,000 breeding pairs and one million seabirds in total. The archipelago has turned into a wildlife haven because no humans have lived there since 1930. St Kilda is around 100 miles off the Scottish mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it's thought that humans happily lived there for 2,000 years. One of those islands, and the biggest, is Hirta, where freshwater springs, fish, birds, crops, and other livestock made it possible to live on the island. But harsh weather conditions, and a turbulent terrain made life on Hirta difficult. The population on the island dwindled because of illness and crop failures. In 1930, only 36 residents lived on Hirta and they all opted to be resettled on the Scottish mainland. You can still see the remains of the settlement on the island. The tiny UK island you won't have heard of where only six people can stay at a time 4 While no one actually lives on St Kilda, nor are there any shops or cafes, you can go on an organised trip. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "The dramatic rocks rising straight up from the sea and the birds perching on the rocky ledges, extraordinary." Another described it as being at "the end of the world." The best way to explore is on a Hebrides Cruises live-aboard adventure vessel that also offers whalewatching. Day trips run regularly from April to September, and occasionally into early October, depending on weather conditions. Hirta has one of the most remote campsites in the world which is run by the National Trust and costs £20 per pitch. Facilities include toilets, shower block and a fresh water drinking tap. But as there are no shops on Hirta, anyone wanting to visit will need to bring essentials - including a cooking stove and food. The ferry ride takes between three and six hours, but is very weather-dependent. So it's advised to bring extra supplies in case of big delays. Here are two Scottish islands named among world's best hidden gems. And this Scottish island dubbed 'Egypt of the North' has stunning sandy beaches and hidden tombs.
