Horse Isle
Jun2004.jpg)
Horse Isle is a small, uninhabited island located at NS211427 just off the shore of the seaside town of Ardrossan in Ayrshire. It thus lies in the Firth of Clyde.
The island is a nature reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Geography
Horse isle is small and rocky. It is just half a mile or so west of Ardrossan and provides shelter to its harbour. The Arran ferry passes close to the island as it enters the sheltered bay formed by island and the Ayrshire coast into Ardrossan.
The island rises no higher than 13 feet above sea level.
Two smaller islands, North Islet and East Islet, skirt the east coast of Horse Isle and a number of other rocks litter the sound between the island and the mainland. The 1788 survey of the Montgomery or Eglinton Estates by John Ainslie was completed in 1791 and records the name 'Robinson's Rock' off the East Islet and 'Witherow's Rock' off the West side of the main island.[1]
History
A 52 foot tall stone beacon stands at the south end of Horse Isle marking the island for shipping. Erected in 1811, it was commissioned by Hugh, 12th Earl of Eglinton on the suggestion of John Ross, the Arctic explorer.[2]
The hazard the island continued to present to shipping is reflected in the number of ships that have been wrecked on the island including:
- Minerva (1821, brig)
- Morning Star (1871)
- Brigadier (tugboat, 1960, sank)[3]
Wildlife
Today, Horse Isle is a nature reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.[4] It is designated as an Area of Special Protection (AoSP).[5] for breeding seabirds and waterfowl and winter grounds. AoSPs are created under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with the aim of preventing disturbance or destruction of birds. They replaced Bird Sanctuary Orders under the Protection of Birds Act 1967.
Horse Island is important for species including herring and lesser black backed gulls, and eider.[3]
References
- ↑ National Archives of Scotland. RHP35796/1-5
- ↑ Love, D 2001 'Ayrshire Coast', Fort Publishing, Pg 47
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Overview of Horse Isle". Gazetteer for Scotland. http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst12005.html. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ↑ "Horse Island Reserve". RSPB. http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/horseisland/index.asp. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ↑ "Conference on the Ecology and Management of the Firth of Clyde - Papers" (PDF). Firth of Clyde Forum. 2001. http://www.clydeforum.org/reports/focconf.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-27.