For the third year running the RSPB and the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group have joined forces to make the journey to the Islands a bit more interesting with the help of an on-board wildlife guide every Friday from 2 April.
A team of five enthusiastic volunteers (mainly from Cornwall) have been recruited by the RSPB to put their birdwatching skills to the test.
Passengers travelling to the islands on board The Scillonian III any Friday from 2 April onwards (excluding July and August) will have the chance to ask for help identifying seabirds and other marine wildlife as the ferry makes it way to the islands.
One willing volunteer, Paul Roberts from Mount Hawke, is looking forward to his second season as a regular guide. ‘I moved to Cornwall four years ago after being redundant from my job at Heathrow airport and have been volunteering for the RSPB ever since I arrived.
‘I volunteer on Marazion Marsh nature reserve and help protect the choughs at the Lizard but working on The Scillonian is definitely the most challenging - and the most fun!
‘As a regular visitor to the Isles of Scilly for over 20 years I?ve got to know the route pretty well and it never fails to turn up one or two surprises. Last year I got everyone looking out for birds from the top deck and we all had great fun working out what things were and where they might have come from.?
‘Having a wildlife guide aboard has been an enormous success and we get lots of feedback from passengers about how much they enjoy looking out for all the different birds’In addition to regular seabirds like gannets and gulls, last year Paul spotted an Artic skua, black guillemot, Manx shearwater, kittiwakes and a storm petrel. Also on the list were sea mammals like basking sharks and harbour porpoises.
Lisa Soper from the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group says, ‘Having a wildlife guide aboard has been an enormous success and we get lots of feedback from passengers about how much they enjoy looking out for all the different birds. The Scillies are a very special place and many of our passengers go there specifically for its wonderful wildlife.?
Apart from the amazing birdlife that the trip to Scilly offers you RSPB members get a better incentive with special day return tickets from just ?16 (instead of ?32), on Fridays from April to June and again from September to October.