One of our favourite trips here at Sea Kayaking Anglesey is to get out to the Skerries to see the Arctic Terns ‘dreading’. The Skerries is the largest breeding ground of Arctic terns in the country with over 2,000 breeding pairs nesting there last year. The islands, which are owned by Trinity House are a SSSI and have a couple of RSPB wardens on them during the nesting season to monitor and protect the nesting birds.
The terns regularly ‘dread’ which involves 1,000’s of them flying off their nests and swooping out to sea in great flocks for a few circles before returning to their nests, squawking and pecking one another as they go.
A common tern is another species found on The Skerries
If you are visiting the Skerries by sea kayak I suggest you land in the harbour and then climb the steps to the East side of the lighthouse where you will normally find the wardens. If you send someone up ahead to check if this is OK with the wardens as the terns nest on the paths and their eggs are hard to spot. The RSPB wardens appreciate a nice bottle of wine if you are planning on paddling out to there.
These small island off Anglesey are home to the largest
Arctic tern breeding colony in the UK.
If you want to plan the trip yourself then a good starting point is using the Welsh Sea Kayaking guide book. It will warn you that this is quite an advanced trip, and they are right, but if you pick your weather window and get your tidal planning right it’s well worth the effort. If you feel you need a little more experience before doing the trip yourself the check out our courses and you never know, with a favourable forecast we might take a trip out there.
Phil Clegg runs Sea Kayaking Anglesey a small sea kayaking provider based on the Isle of Anglesey, in North Wales, UK. He has lived and coached sea kayaking there for the last ten years. He is a skilled paddler, and his abilities in a boat are matched by his ability to teach others effectively with his fun and friendly manner. Phil’s expeditions have taken him from the Arctic to the Tropics and most notably a record breaking circumnavigation of Great Britain in 80 days. He is a BCU Level Five Coach and a Sea Kayaking UK, Celtic Paddles and Palm sponsored paddler.
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