Handa, Scotland

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing

Handa ( Scottish Gaelic Eilean Shannda ) is an uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland in the Atlantic. The island's name is Old Norse.

Geography

The island is separated from the mainland by the Handa sound, which is only 350 meters wide at its narrowest point. It is owned by Dr Jean Balfour, but is maintained by the " Scottish Wildlife Trust" and is connected via a small passenger ferry to the hamlet Tarbet northeast of the island. Boat traffic is the hamlet catch Amore.

The island is from east to west 2.5 km long and up to 1.8 km wide, and has an area of 3.08 km ². In the north of Sithean Mòr, with its two peaks, with the highest elevation of the island of 123 meters. In the north and west, there are 30 meters high cliffs. In the flatter south and east of the island there are beaches.

Among the small side islands of Handa include glass Leac in the south, Eilean Aigeach to the northeast and Stac t- Sealbhaig in the north.

Handa is visited because of their avifauna mainly by ornithologists. Especially guillemots and puffins are native to the cliffs of the island.

History

Handa was once used as a burial place. In the southeast are the remains of a chapel to see where the name Traigh recalls Teampaill ( beach of the temple ).

In 1841 the island had 65 inhabitants, however, had to emigrate in 1848 because of the blight and the resulting inbound the Great Famine. Contradictory records available to the dietary habits of the islanders, who also lived on oats, fish and sea birds, instead of being dependent mainly on potatoes.

The island had a council, similar to the more remote island of St Kilda, which met daily. The oldest widow of the island was considered the "Queen ".

The island is now part of the goods Scourie and heard Dr Jean Balfour and JC Balfour .. subject to the supervision of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which sends a guard on the island during the summer months.

Nature

On Handa four habitats can be distinguished:

• The beaches, dunes and sandy meadows are rich in many short statured plant species such as daisies and geranium. Here live many rabbits

• The acidic Gentiles in the central area of ​​the island is covered with grasses and heathers as well as in places with ferns and willows. Here live skuas ( Arctic Skua and Great Skua )

• The wetlands are covered with peat mosses, sedges and rushes.

• The cliffs to the north and west are home to a significant colony of sea birds, is known for the Handa. The avifauna consists mainly of guillemots ( the largest colony of this kind in the UK ), razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars and silver and herring gulls.

The island is a SSSI and was leased for 25 years at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The owner, however, did not renew the lease because they wanted a Scottish organization as supervision. Therefore, the Scottish Wildlife Trust took over the management. Although Handa is protected, every year 5,000 visitors to the island.

The rugged coastline with the free-standing pinnacle The Great Stack make Handa become a favorite place of bird watching.