2025 Season Over & Out

 It feels quite strange to write the final blog of the year from the mainland. We had a fairly quick departure last week as the storm began to build and everyone was removing their boats from the water. Nia and I weren't quite ready to leave for the season, but we were rewarded with a very beautiful sunrise on our last morning as we packed up our respective homes. 

Sunrise over the sound on the 22nd © Alys Perry. 

The island looking very autumnal out West on the 21st © Nia Stephens. 

The past few weeks have involved the usual end-of-season tasks such as packing up the shop, taking in the signs, painting, cleaning, general maintenance, and preparing all the buildings for winter. Alongside monitoring the end of the seal pupping season, we also managed a final trip to Grassholm to land, swap camera trap batteries, and free any entangled gannet chicks while we were there. We are pleased to say that only 2 chicks needed to be cut free, and many had already successfully fledged before we arrived. 

Seal pup counts of the waterings on the 29th September © Alys Perry. 

Nia changing over SD cards & batteries from a camera trap on Grassholm on the 16th © Alys Perry. 

All our bags ready to be picked up by Derek on the 22nd © Nia Stephens. 

Wildlife round up

The main news on the wildlife front is that our seal pup numbers are reaching a record high. We are still finalising the figures, but it looks like we will have had 912 seal pups born on the island this year, which is the highest we have ever recorded!!

A Aberfelin seal pup posing for the camera on the 18th © Alys Perry. 

Two male seals fighting over females on the waterings on the 14th © Alys Perry. 

Two male seals fighting over females on the waterings on the 14th © Alys Perry. 

A very chunky fully weaned seal pup, otherwise known as a weaner came to say goodbye as we headed off on the 22nd © Alys Perry. 

Much to mine and Nia's surprise, we saw our first ever Atlantic Bluefin tuna feeding in the sound for several hours on 16th October. It was truly impressive to watch it hunt in the shallows off the east coast of the island, with the tuna frequently leaping completely out of the water while chasing its prey. Sadly, we were not fortunate enough to take a good photograph. 

A very distant photograph of the caudal fin of the tuna on the 16th © Alys Perry. 

The island has been filled with migrants over the past few weeks, including ring ouzels, redwings, fieldfares, blackcaps, garden warblers and goldcrests. There has also been plenty of chaffinches passing through, along with willow warblers, chiffchaffs, and a couple of merlins. The sparrowhawks have returned, hunting across the island and terrorising the local blackbirds. Snipe are also back in abundance, seen across all the wet patches on the island.

A sparrowhawk perched on a table outside the bungalow on the 19th © Alys Perry. 

We have also had some interesting sightings from Grassholm over the past few weeks, including pintail, whinchat, wheatear, grey heron, yellow wagtail, ring ouzel, redwing, skylark, snipe, and firecrest.

With the amount of rain we have had over the past few weeks, numerous fungi have started popping up, including parasol mushrooms and many waxcaps. 

Some parasol mushrooms on the south on the 20th © Nia Stephens. 

A scarlet waxcap on the 21st © Nia Stephens. 

Although access has been limited this year, it’s still been a rewarding and memorable season in many ways. Thank you to everyone who’s supported the island. We hope to welcome many more of you back in 2026.

Until next season

Assistant Warden

Alys Perry