The Island Vet: Devil Bird Island

A camping trip to count puffins on Devil Bird Island turns into a real adventure for friends Tia and Nat.

First, they have to rescue a mysterious marine animal caught in a fishing net and swept very far from home. Then, when it gets dark, they hear strange wailing and something white and ghostly flies at their tent.

Safely back home, they unravel the mysteries of the previous night and learn some important lessons about how everyone on the planet needs to look out for the wildlife around them.

“I adore Gill Lewis’s The Island Vet series! With strong environmental messages and plenty of heart, they challenge children to stand up for wildlife and protect the world around them while developing caring, empathetic relationships with family, friends and their community.” Kate Heap – Scope for Imagination

“A gorgeous story with important environmental messages.” Mini Travellers.

Author’s note:
This story was inspired by my visit to Skokholm Island, a bird observatory island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. It’s an extraordinary place, where the moment you step off the small boat that takes you there, you feel as if you have left the hustle and bustle of the modern world, and you are immersed in a timeless place. I accompanied a group of bird ringers who put rings on birds’ legs for the British Trust of Ornithology for research. On a moonless night, we went in search for manx shearwaters, or devil birds, as they are sometimes known. These extraordinary birds migrate all the way to the coast of South America and back, right to the same rabbit burrow where they lay their eggs each year. Holding a manx shearwater, while it had a leg ring attached, was a profound moment – sitting beneath the stars, feeling this bird in my hands, and knowing that it connected us all. Devil Bird Island is about those connections – that no place is truly an island, and that we are all connected across the world.