Great Saltee
16th May 2011
Last Saturday I had the pleasure to join members of the IWT on a trip to the Great Saltee. This island lies about 5km off the South Wexford coast and if you are suffering from bird phobia this is not the place for you. The Great Saltee belongs to the birds. In spring they arrive in their thousands to breed: Gannets, Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Fulmars, Kittiwakes to name but a few.
The island is privately owned by the Neale family but, thank's to the late Prince Michael the First, open to visitors. Boats leave from Kilmore Quay and it takes little more than a quarter of an hour to get to the island. The crossing however can be both rough and wet as I had to experience myself. The waters around the Saltee islands are known to be treacherous (they are also known as the Graveyard of a Thousand Ships) and by the time I set foot on Great Saltee (the last leg of the journey has to be taken by dinghy) I had found out that my waterproof pants are leaking.
Landing on Great Saltee
At this time of the year the Great Saltee is alive with colours: The hills and fields are covered in Bluebells and emerging Bracken. The cliff edge is covered in Sea Pink (Thrift) and Sea Campion and the bare rocks glow yellow and orange with lichen.
And then there are of course the birds. The sight and sound is just amazing and there is a constant coming and going. What I find most striking is that the animals don't seem to be afraid. I was sitting within a meter of Razorbills, Gannets and Cormorants and if anything they seemed curious.
Breeding Gannet
Needless to say that I was in photographic heaven and in the few short hours I spent on the island I pressed the shutter more than 400 times...
The Great Saltee is one of those places that keep you captivated and longing to come back. All images from this trip can be seen here.
The island is privately owned by the Neale family but, thank's to the late Prince Michael the First, open to visitors. Boats leave from Kilmore Quay and it takes little more than a quarter of an hour to get to the island. The crossing however can be both rough and wet as I had to experience myself. The waters around the Saltee islands are known to be treacherous (they are also known as the Graveyard of a Thousand Ships) and by the time I set foot on Great Saltee (the last leg of the journey has to be taken by dinghy) I had found out that my waterproof pants are leaking.
Landing on Great Saltee
At this time of the year the Great Saltee is alive with colours: The hills and fields are covered in Bluebells and emerging Bracken. The cliff edge is covered in Sea Pink (Thrift) and Sea Campion and the bare rocks glow yellow and orange with lichen.
And then there are of course the birds. The sight and sound is just amazing and there is a constant coming and going. What I find most striking is that the animals don't seem to be afraid. I was sitting within a meter of Razorbills, Gannets and Cormorants and if anything they seemed curious.
Breeding Gannet
Needless to say that I was in photographic heaven and in the few short hours I spent on the island I pressed the shutter more than 400 times...
The Great Saltee is one of those places that keep you captivated and longing to come back. All images from this trip can be seen here.
Great Saltee Cliffs and Makestone Rock
