Sule Stack
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Sule Stack or Stack Skerry is an extremely remote island or stack in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland. It is formed of Lewisian gneiss.[5]
| Meaning of name | Gannet Stack, from sùlaire (Scottish Gaelic for northern gannet), and Stack (originally Norse) Norse[1] |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 Sule Stack Sule Stack shown within Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | HX561179 |
| Coordinates | 59.02°N 4.51°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | North Atlantic |
| Area | 2.9 ha (7+1⁄4 acres) |
| Highest elevation | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Orkney |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
| References | [2][3][4] |
Sule Stack lies 49 kilometres (26+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of the Scottish mainland, and 66 km (35+1⁄2 nmi) west of the Orkney mainland, at grid reference HX561179. Sule Stack's sole neighbour, Sule Skerry, lies 10 km (5+1⁄2 nmi) northeast and the remote islands of Rona and Sula Sgeir lie further to the west. Sule Stack and Sule Skerry are home to thousands of gannets and as a result are listed as a special protection area; the island falls within the administrative region of the Orkney Islands.
The island (along with Sule Skerry) has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding populations of several species of seabirds.[6]
Bird species nesting on the stack include:[7]
- Razorbill Alca torda
- Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica
- Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
- Great black-backed gull Larus marinus
- Common shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
- Black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
- Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea
- Northern gannet Morus bassanus
- Common guillemot Uria aalge
See also
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