Copinsay
Encyclopedia
'
Copinsay is one of the Orkney Islands
in Scotland
, lying off the east coast of the Orkney Mainland. The smaller companion island to Copinsay is called the Horse of Copinsay and lies to the north east to the main island. The island is now uninhabited and managed as a bird reserve. Copinsay is also home to a lighthouse
.
Myths about the island include the story of the Copinsay Brownie.
For many generations, prior to the final inhabitants moving to the Mainland in 1958, Copinsay was full of life; the large, double storey farm house and behind it the Steading (or farm buildings) form the farm tenants, a school with a school teacher and up to three lighthouse keepers' families.
There is also an ancient burial site on the island.
In the earlier part of the century a weekly postal service provided contact with the Mainland and fortnightly shopping trips to Deerness
, allowing for weather. The farm boasted working horses, cattle and sheep - all of which had to be transported on the "coo" or "cow" boat. Birds' eggs provided a good supplement to the islanders diet, and men were lowered over the cliffs and a special rope, or rowed out to the Horse to bring back this addition.
Pigs were loosed in the spring on the Horse
for many years - feeding on the bird eggs - transported across the sound by boat.
Many interesting facts and accounts of life on Copinsay are still retold in the Deerness Community, with many members still remembering when the island was still home to loved ones.
.
Although Copinsay today is uninhabited, some fields are still farmed at the behest of the RSPB, to try provide suitable conditions for Corncrake, so the patch work of yesteryear is returning to the island, even though the people have not.
Together with the three adjacent three islets (Corn Holm
, Ward Holm and Black Holm
), it is designated a Special Protection Area
(SPA) under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds due to the unimproved grassland vegetation and sheer sandstone cliffs providing ideal breeding ledges for seabirds.
There is a large colony of grey seal
s on the island. They usually pup in November each year. puffin
s can be seen during July on the adjacent holm
s.
Copinsay is one of the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, lying off the east coast of the Orkney Mainland. The smaller companion island to Copinsay is called the Horse of Copinsay and lies to the north east to the main island. The island is now uninhabited and managed as a bird reserve. Copinsay is also home to a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
.
For many generations, prior to the final inhabitants moving to the Mainland in 1958, Copinsay was full of life; the large, double storey farm house and behind it the Steading (or farm buildings) form the farm tenants, a school with a school teacher and up to three lighthouse keepers' families.
There is also an ancient burial site on the island.
In the earlier part of the century a weekly postal service provided contact with the Mainland and fortnightly shopping trips to Deerness
Deerness
Deerness is a quoad sacra parish and peninsula in Mainland, Orkney....
, allowing for weather. The farm boasted working horses, cattle and sheep - all of which had to be transported on the "coo" or "cow" boat. Birds' eggs provided a good supplement to the islanders diet, and men were lowered over the cliffs and a special rope, or rowed out to the Horse to bring back this addition.
Pigs were loosed in the spring on the Horse
Horse of Copinsay
The Horse of Copinsay, also known as the Horse, is a rectangular sea stack to the north east of Copinsay in the Orkney Islands.-Name:...
for many years - feeding on the bird eggs - transported across the sound by boat.
Many interesting facts and accounts of life on Copinsay are still retold in the Deerness Community, with many members still remembering when the island was still home to loved ones.
Ecology
The island was bought by the ornithology charity, the RSPB in 1972 in memory of the naturalist James FisherJames Fisher
James Maxwell McConnell Fisher was a British author, editor, broadcaster, naturalist and ornithologist...
.
Although Copinsay today is uninhabited, some fields are still farmed at the behest of the RSPB, to try provide suitable conditions for Corncrake, so the patch work of yesteryear is returning to the island, even though the people have not.
Together with the three adjacent three islets (Corn Holm
Corn Holm
Corn Holm is a small tidal island in Orkney, near Copinsay to the west. There was once a small chapel here , and it is covered in birdlife.- Geography and geology :Corn Holm is made up of red sandstone....
, Ward Holm and Black Holm
Black Holm
Black Holm is a small tidal island in the Orkney Islands, near Copinsay to the west of Corn Holm.-Geography and geology:Corn Holm is made up of red sandstone....
), it is designated a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
(SPA) under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds due to the unimproved grassland vegetation and sheer sandstone cliffs providing ideal breeding ledges for seabirds.
There is a large colony of grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
s on the island. They usually pup in November each year. puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s can be seen during July on the adjacent holm
Holm (island)
This page is a set index; for other uses of the term, see Holm There are numerous islands containing the word Holm, especially in Scotland. In many cases the name is derived from the Old Norse holmr, meaning "a small and rounded islet"...
s.