Sula Sgeir

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Sula Sgeir ( Scottish Gaelic, by Súlasker, Old Norse for gannet skerry ) is an island in the north of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Sula Sgeir is one of the most remote of the British Isles. The island is uninhabited.

Geography

Sula Sgeir is almost 70 kilometers north of the northern tip of the main island of Lewis and 16 kilometers west of the island of North Rona. The island is around 0.3 square kilometers and consists of gneiss. In the south, there are a number of interconnected sea caves.

History

St. Ronan's sister Brunhilda said to have lived on Sula Sgeir. The earliest reports of the inhabitants of the Ness District on Lewis, who sailed to Sula Sgeir, date from the year 1549. Their goal was to hunt seabirds, particularly gannets. To date, this type of hunting, the guga cull is run by people from the Ness district, although Sula Sgeir 1956 explained together with North Rona to the nature reserve. Up to 2,000 young gannets may be killed each year by hunters from the Ness district after a special scheme; their flesh, guga called, in Ness is considered a delicacy.

Building

A number of partly decayed shelters located on Sula Sgeir, including the Taigh Beannaichte ( Blessed House ). They are made of long pieces of gneiss. In addition, one finds on the south coast with a lighthouse that has already been damaged several times in storms.

Flora and Fauna

Despite its exposed location, it is on Sula Sgeir a rich vegetation. In June, numerous beach - thrifts bloom ( Armeria maritima ).

The island is known for its many seabirds. Around 5000 gannet breeding pairs (Morus bassanus ) are counted every year. These other species such as kittiwakes come (Rissa tridactyla) and puffins (Fratercula arctica).

Conservation

Sula Sgeir belongs together with North Rona Rona and Sula to Sgeir National Nature Reserve, which was established on 30 March 2006.