This is the author’s personal and engaging narrative of a glorious summer spent as a field assistant on Skomer Island, a small island off the Welsh coast hosting some of Britain’s most spectacular seabird colonies. His role was first and foremost to monitor a range of seabirds, including Guillemots, Kittiwakes and fulmars, but at the same time, he also thoroughly enjoyed the plant and other animal life that inhabits this unique spot as well as life in the small community of conservationists that shared it with him. Sheer Cliffs and Shearwaters traces the changes that mark the passing months and seasons, from the arrival of thousands of breeding birds to their eventual departure, and explores the natural history of the landscape they occupy. But this is also a personal story, a reflection on life and work of a naturalist on this remote island.
Sheer Cliffs and Shearwaters – A Skomer Island Journal
Publication date: 1 August, 2013
Category: Birds and Birdwatching
Paperback
RRP: £8.99
ISBN: 978 1908241 214
Extent: 183 pages
Reviews
This book brings to life the island of Skomer, with beautiful descriptions of everything from the famous seabird colonies to Skomer voles and prehistoric settlements. Written as a diary, the book has a personal feel, really bringing the place to life, even if you’ve never been there!
Amazon review
A beautifully written account of modern day island life, the descriptive writing brings skomer to life. An excellent mix of readability and information. This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in islands, seabirds or natural history in general.
Amazon review
Although this book is an account of a researchers time on Skomer island, the literary prowess of the writer made it a book that I could not put down. Amazing, much more than I expected.
Amazon review
I found that having picked it up, I found it very difficult to put this book down. As the author guided me from week to week and season to season, I could close my eyes and hear the raucous mewing of the gulls and the constant smell of salt in the air. For those who have previously visited Skomer, this book will transport you back to that special place; for those who have never been but are intending to go, it will act as a delicious appetiser for the main course to come. It’s a fascinating read and highly recommended.
Iolo Williams, Nature observer and TV presenter
Richard Kipling
After completing a degree in Economics and Politics, and working as a clerical officer for the NHS, Richard Kipling decided to follow his interest in natural history and volunteered for the National Trust in Shropshire before studying Countryside Conservation at Aberystwyth University, ultimately gaining a PhD in Pollination Ecology. Subsequently, …
Author Profile Page