Record Skomer Island puffin count for second year running

For the second consecutive year, a record number of puffins has been observed on a small island near Pembrokeshire. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) reported that this year’s puffin count on Skomer Island reached 52,019, marking an increase of 8,000 compared to 2025. This surge exceeded expectations, with the organisation describing the figures as “a very pleasant surprise.”

Skomer Island is notable not only for its growing puffin population but also as a habitat for a variety of other seabird species. The island supports approximately 350,000 breeding pairs of Manx shearwaters, along with thousands of guillemots and razorbills. Leighton Newman, the island’s warden for WTSWW, highlighted the significance of these numbers following recent environmental concerns, stating, “After the tragic number of seabirds washing up on beaches across southern Europe earlier this year… it’s a very pleasant surprise to see the puffin population thriving.”

The process of counting puffins on Skomer involves meticulous observation. The island is divided into seven sections, and the team carefully surveys every individual puffin on land, at sea, and in the air during a specific window each season. Timing is critical; if counted too early, many birds have yet to return, and if too late, they are settled in burrows with eggs. This counting method has been consistently used since the 1980s, enabling comparison of data over more than four decades. The 2023 count surpassed the previous record of 43,626 puffins noted in 2025. Besides puffins, wardens and volunteers conduct boat surveys to monitor other seabirds nesting on the island’s cliffs, and they keep track of species such as Manx shearwaters, marine mammals, reptiles, and Skomer’s endemic vole.

Long-term monitoring like this is essential for understanding trends in seabird populations, especially since many are declining across the UK due to threats like pollution, invasive predators, bird flu, and offshore development. According to the Wildlife Trust, puffins are among the most rapidly declining bird families in various regions. Newman stressed the importance of the data, explaining, “Puffin numbers are declining at many sites around the UK, but Skomer bucks the trend – and it’s thanks to long-term monitoring work that we know this.” He added, “It’s special that Skomer is a refuge for so many seabirds and it’s a privilege to be able to work to protect them, but we want to see seabird populations thriving across the UK.

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More