The Skerries, Anglesey

The Skerries (Welsh: "Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid") (gbmapping|SH268948) is the name for a group of sparsely-vegetated rocky islets lying 3 km offshore from [http://angleseynature.co.uk/webmaps/carmelheaddesc.htm Carmel Head] , the northwest corner of Anglesey, Wales, c.17 ha in size. The islands are important as a breeding site for seabirds, and they are attract divers, who come to visit the numerous shipwrecks.

The islands can be visited by charter boat from Holyhead. The individual islets are accessible from one another at low tide and by small bridges.

The name "Skerry" is the Scottish diminutive of the Old Norse "sker", and means a small rocky reef or island ( [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=skerry source] ). The Welsh name for these islands, Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid, means "the Island of Bald-headed Grey Seals" ( [http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/upload/resourcepool/Skerries6067.htm source] ).

eabirds

The islands have a seabird colony, which is particularly important for Arctic Tern, numbers of which are nationally important; Roseate Tern breeds occasionally in very small numbers. The following species also breed: Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwake, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Because of these birds, in particular the terns, the island has been designated as part of a Special Protection Area along with two other nearby sites, Cemlyn Bay and Ynys Feurig, and all three are also classed by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area. The Skerries have also been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Terns interchange regularly between all three sites, and form part of a larger Irish Sea tern population together with birds at sites in Ireland such as Rockabill Island. The islands are wardened by the RSPB during the tern breeding season, and management measures they have undertaken here include control of introduced Tree Mallow ("Lavatera arborea") and provision of nestboxes; these measures as aimed particularly at helping to increase the attractiveness of the site to breeding Roseate Terns, although it is accepted that the future number of pairs of this species here is primarily dependent on the overall health of the Irish Sea population.

The site came to national attention among birders briefly in July 2005 when it attracted a Sooty Tern, a species which only a very small number of birders had previously seen in Britain.

Lighthouse

The lighthouse built in 1717 is situated on the largest island and was automated in 1987. It stands 36 metres above average high tides and is 23 metres tall. It's light is 1,150,000 candelas, flashs twice every 10 seconds and can be seen 22 nautical miles away.

External links

* [http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=53.4215&lon=-4.6079&scale=1000000&icon=x Location map (Multimap)]
* [http://www.angleseyheritage.org/doc.asp?cat=1991 The Skerries Lighthouse (Anglesey Heritage)]
* [http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/interactive/gallery/the_skerries.html Trinity House-Skerries Lighthouse]