Auskerry
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox Scottish island
Auskerry (Template:Langx; Template:Langx, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.
DescriptionEdit
Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, Template:Convert south of Stronsay.<ref name="geo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement.<ref name="geo"/> The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals.<ref name="geo"/>
Auskerry has been inhabited for nearly 50 years by a family (of the reporter Hamish Auskerry) who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LighthouseEdit
The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is attached to two flats; the lower one is used all year as a store and the top one is used mainly in summer.
The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship, ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.
WildlifeEdit
Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and European storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of European storm petrels in Great Britain nest on the island.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of seabirds.<ref name=bli>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Isle of Auskerry (Handmade Business)
- List of lighthouses in Scotland
- List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:North East Orkney Template:Orkney Islands Template:Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board Template:Coord