Pembrokeshire: Puffins

In the far southwest corner of Wales lies Pembrokeshire’s wild and rugged coast. Twisting and turning along the edge of the Atlantic, life on this ancient coastline is defined by the rhythm of the seasons and the power of the sea.
Fishing these fertile waters has long been a tradition here. Every day, local fisherman, Jono Voyce, heads out from Solva harbour into St Brides Bay to fish for the lobster and crab he supplies to these coastal communities. With the arrival of spring he’ll soon be busier than ever, providing for thousands of visitors who flock to this coast every summer for a taste of the sea.
Just off the Pembrokeshire coast are a handful of islands. Most are uninhabited throughout winter, but every spring, these wild places are transformed as tens of thousands of seabirds flock to their rocky cliffs to breed. With a mild climate and lack of predators, the islands offer the perfect place for puffins, razorbills, gannets and guillemots to rear their chicks.
Pembrokeshire’s mild climate offers another advantage. With spring well under way it’s time for farmers to get planting. Potatoes are a local speciality and “Pembrokeshire Earlies” have been given their name for a very good reason. The fields on Peter Smithies farm are situated right next to the sea which helps keep them frost free, allowing the soil to warm up quickly in spring. By planting early Peter can steal a march on the rest of the country and ask for the highest prices at market.
With warm sea breezes caressing the coast in May it bursts into a riot of colour. Wild flowers carpet the sea-cliffs, while on Skomer Island, swathes of bluebells reach their peak, turning the island a shimmering blue. People are now popping up everywhere to walk the coast, watch the seabirds and discover Pembrokeshire’s historic towns. By June the pufflings are beginning to appear at the entrance to their burrows, waiting for their parents to fly back with dinner. Gannet and razorbill colonies too have doubled in size as hungry chicks keep their parents busy with a constant supply of fish.
By July beaches are now the playground for countless visitors. But their activity depends on the tides. Tides give a predictable rhythm to life on the coast. In Pembrokeshire, where the water level rises as much as 30 feet a day, they’re some of the highest in the world. The sheer force of the water sweeping in has helped forge this ragged coast and formed it’s rocky foreshore, providing the perfect opportunity for a great British pastime – rock pooling!
Across the year Pembrokeshire gets almost three hundred more hours of sunshine than the UK average and by the school summer holidays the beaches are packed! But out on the islands there’s an eerie silence. With the breeding season over, August is when the seabirds leave. With chicks now grown, it’s time to return to sea to spend the next eight months feeding. Even beneath the waves creatures are on the move. Spider crabs come together en masse to shed their shells and grow new ones. Until the new shell hardens they’re soft and vulnerable, but in these vast gatherings there’s safety in numbers.
As summer drifts into autumn October sees new visitors arrive on Pembrokeshire’s beaches. Every autumn up to two thousand grey seals come ashore to give birth in sheltered coves and bays. It may seem a strange time of year to give birth, when the weather is about to get worse, but it gives the females a whole summer of fattening up in order to feed their pups an especially rich milk. These youngsters have just a month to grow and put on the blubber they’ll need to keep them warm in the north Atlantic waters.
A thousands miles away across the ocean hurricane season has started. The Pembrokeshire coast is the first to feel the legacy of these storms. In anticipation of huge, battering waves boats are lifted out of harbours for protection. In the town of Tenby there’s no denying the winter gloom, but by celebrating annual traditions communities bring in some welcome light and warmth!
Once in a decade, the warm Atlantic winds that keep Pembrokeshire mild in winter are driven off course, and cold, easterly winds race down from Siberia, creating the perfect storm. The coast is locked in a deep freeze. As temperatures plummet, wading birds that have flown here to escape the cold are in for a shock!
The first of March brings the promise of new life and the return of the sun to the Pembrokeshire coast. On this day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, they celebrate his life and mark the restoration of hope that comes with spring. The year has come full circle. It’s time for the boats to go back on the water, for Jono to tend to his crab pots… and the most important event to mark the start of a new Pembrokeshire year… the puffins return to the island.