Manx shearwaters returning at night
Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus). Pembrokeshire islands, Rùm, United Kingdom.
Best time: 15 May – 15 Jul (May to July). Where: Skomer Island (Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales), Skokholm Island, Isle of Rùm – Hallival & Askival (United Kingdom). Time of day: Nothing until full dark: first birds about 1 h after sunset, the mass arrival from around 23:00 to 02:00, tailing off well before the first grey light.
- Partly on your own
- Entry fee
- No binoculars needed
- Sound 5/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 May – 15 Jul. May to mid July, on moonless nights
Active from 1 Apr to 31 Aug (April to August) in a typical year.
Time of day
Nothing until full dark: first birds about 1 h after sunset, the mass arrival from around 23:00 to 02:00, tailing off well before the first grey light. Moonless nights only.
- Colony return: 30 min after last light → 02:30
What will you hear?
Hundreds of thousands of birds crashing in, with cackling, choking, hoarse calls from the air and burrows all around you.
Binoculars?
No binoculars needed. Pitch dark on purpose; birds crash in around you. Red torch only.
Where to go
- Skomer Island (Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales) — Overnight stays in the hostel are the only way to be there after dark. Book months ahead. Map
- Skokholm Island — Stays from three nights; storm petrels too. Map
- Isle of Rùm – Hallival & Askival — Mountaintop colony; a serious night hike from Kinloch. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Skomer and Skokholm: night presence is only possible by staying over — book the Skomer hostel or a Skokholm stay with the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, and the island boat from Martin's Haven. Rùm: fully independent — CalMac from Mallaig, then a serious night hike from Kinloch up Hallival (about 700 m of ascent, for experienced hillwalkers with a red torch and good weather).
Cost: Skomer landing boat £24 adult (£16.50 Aug–Sept) plus hostel £50–£65 dorm bed or £60–£99 private room per person per night (2027 prices); Skokholm stays £185–£295 for 3–4 nights, £262–£410 for a week (2027); Rùm free after the ferry.
Free or no-guide alternative: Rùm: free once you are on the island — hike to the Hallival/Askival colony from Kinloch at night on a moonless night. Strenuous and exposed; only for confident hillwalkers.
Who runs access
- Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales – Skomer hostel and Skokholm stays (NGO) — The only way to be on the islands after dark; books out months ahead.
Field-recording notes
Moon phase is everything — dark nights bring far more activity. Red torch only, never step off paths (burrows collapse). Burrow calls are close and quiet, the flight calls loud and overhead; a rig at path level with a high-pass off catches both.
Sources
Similar spectacles
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