Auskerry
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| Norse name | Austrsker |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | east skerry |
 Auskerry lighthouse |
|
| Location | |
 Auskerry
Auskerry shown within Orkney
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|
| OS grid reference | HY675165 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Orkney |
| Area | 85 hectares (0.33 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 157= [1] |
| Highest elevation | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| Political geography | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Orkney Islands |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 4[2] |
| Population rank | 77= [1] |
| Population density | 4.7 people/km2[2][3] |
 |
|
| References | [3][4][5][6] |
Auskerry (Old Norse: Austrsker, 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.
Contents
Description
Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3 miles (5 km) south of Stronsay.[7][8] A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement.[7] 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.[7]
Auskerry has been inhabited for 30 years by a family who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep.[9] 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.[10]
Lighthouse
The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog.[11] The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.
The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth.[12] It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.[13] 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.
Wildlife
Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of storm petrel in Great Britain nest on the island.[14]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands >20ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013) (pdf) Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1C (Part Two). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland’s inhabited islands". Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
- ↑ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Orkney/Orkney-Geography.htm
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