You ain't seen puffin yet! Volunteers needed to live on seabird island

A conservation charity in Wales is looking for volunteers to live on an island off the coast of the country for free, but there's a little twist.

Skomer Island is a seabird island off Pembrokeshire, managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW).

It is known for its puffin population, which last year saw a record number of more than 40,000 of the species come to Skomer.

Successful applicants will get to spend several months there over spring, summer or autumn as part of conservation efforts - however they will need to help count the birds every day across the island.

Three volunteer puffin counting positions and a seabird monitoring volunteer role are being advertised on the island, which is a national nature reserve.

While the roles are unpaid, free accommodation and travel expenses to and from Skomer Island, within the UK, will be provided.

However, there are no shops on the island so anyone visiting must bring their own food and supplies.

The WTSWW charity carries out a seabird count on the island every year, keeping a close eye on their numbers.

Last year, it recorded 43,626 puffins on the island, despite the global population of the animals decreasing.

Puffins are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List.

Skomer Island visitor officer Rob Knott said the counting operation involved splitting the island into sections and going around about two hours before sunset when a larger number of puffins were on land.

He explained: "We get our clickers out and we count all the ones on the land, then the sea and the ones in the air as well."

Mr Knott added that the island's puffins were "absolutely iconic birds" and that counting them was "quite a job".

The charity said that volunteer duties could also include checking on chick productivity or grey seal monitoring, depending on the time of year.

The successful candidates will also also help with the day-to-day running of the island and welcoming its 25,000 visitors a year.

1. Did you know puffins pairs are loyal to each other? Each year they have one puffling and can be together for up to 20 years!

2. Both parents look after their egg for between 36 and 45 days, and then the island becomes even busier once they hatch.

3. Their beaks change colour during the year. In winter, the beak has a dull grey colour, but in spring it blooms with a bright orange! It's thought that the bright colour helps attract a partner.

4. Puffins are great flyers, flapping their wings up to 400 times a minute and flying up to 88km an hour. Wow!

5. Nicknamed "sea parrots" and "clowns of the sea", puffins spend most of their lives out at sea, resting on the waves when not swimming.