Berneray (From viking Bjorn's Isle) (Scottish Gaelic: Bheàrnaraidh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It should not be confused with Great Bernera, near Lewis. Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Western Isles redirects here. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Great Bernera, often known just as Bernera (Scottish Gaelic: Bearnaraigh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... Looking towards the Uplands in the centre of the Island of Lewis Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic), is the northern part of the main island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, the southern part of which is called Harris, however Lewis and Harris are treated by Scots as separate...

A fishing boat passes between the west beach of Berneray and the island of Pabbay

Berneray is the only inhabited island in the Sound of Harris. With an area of 10.1 square kilometres (2496 acres), Berneray rises to a height of 305 feet (93 m) at Beinn Shleibhe (Moor Hill) and 278 feet (85 m) at Borve Hill. There is strong evidence that points to Berneray being inhabited since the Bronze age, and possibly before. The island is scattered with ancient sacred sites, stone circles, signs of Viking inhabitation and historical buildings, some several centuries old. The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... While not unique to Britain, stone circles are a very British type of monument. ... Vikings were a Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish and Swedish people who lived around the coasts of Scandinavia and raided, besides others in their very homelands, the coasts of the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ...

In common with most islands in the Outer Hebrides, the population has declined over the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the past few years has seen a gradual rise; as of 24th March 2006, the permanent resident population of Berneray stood at 126.

Most people on Berneray speak Scottish Gaelic, many as a first language. Berneray is known as the birthplace of the giant Angus MacAskill and for its sandy beaches backed with sand dunes. The west beach, a three mile stretch of wide, clean and often deserted sand, is widely acclaimed as one of the worlds great beaches. Anna Haining Bates with her parents Gigantism or giantism, (from Greek gigas, gigantos giant) is a condition characterized by excessive height growth. ... Angus Mor MacAskill (1825-August 8, 1863) was known as the worlds largest true giant (normal proportions, no growth abnormalities). ... 90 mile beach Australia A beach or strand is a geological formation consisting of loose rock particles such as sand, shingle, cobble, or even shell along the shoreline of a body of water. ... Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ...

The main industries are fishing, crofting (small-scale individual farming), media/IT and tourism. Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofters dwelling thereon. ...

Borve and the machair

A key feature of Berneray is its machair. The machair is a coastal plain made up of windblown shell sand. Traditional crofting practice, which involves summer agriculture using seaweed together with dung from winter grazing animals as natural fertiliser, has, over time, bound together and stabilised the land. The machair is ploughed in rotation, giving a patchwork of crops and fallow of different ages which supports a wide range of flowers. Berneray has a particularly fine machair, a result of careful husbandry by the island’s crofters, helped by the absence of rabbits. Machair The Gaelic word Machair or machar refers to a fertile low-lying coastal plain. ... Seaweed-covered rocks in the UK Biologists consider seaweed to refer any of a large number of marine benthic algae that are multicellular, macrothallic, and thus differentiated from most algae that tend to be microscopic in size [1]. Seaweeds are usually types of brown or red algae that are often... spreading manure, an organic fertilizer Fertilizers or fertilisers are compounds given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar spraying, for uptake through leaves. ... In general stewardship is responsibility for taking good care of resources entrusted to one. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae, found in many parts of the world. ...

The crofting practises also encourage a wide array of wildlife on Berneray. On early summer evenings you can sometimes hear snipe drumming, and even the rasp of a corncrake. Mute swans can be seen on Loch Brusda, and greylag geese are common. In the winter they are joined by barnacle, and a few brent geese. Ravens and buzzards are often to be seen. Golden eagles and hen harriers are rarer sights, usually in the winter. Wading birds on the shore include redshanks, sanderlings, turnstones, oyster catchers, dunlin, curlews, whimbrels, ringed plovers and herons. Binomial name Gallinago gallinago Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies (Wilsons Snipe) The Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago, is a small, stocky shorebird. ... Binomial name Crex crex (Linnaeus, 1758) The Corn Crake (Crex crex) is a small bird in the family Rallidae. ... Binomial name Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies (Western Greylag Goose) (Eastern Greylag Goose) The Greylag Goose, Anser anser, is a bird with a wide range in the Old World, apparently breeding where suitable localities are to be found in many European countries, although it no longer breeds in southwestern Europe. ... Binomial name Branta leucopsis ((Bechstein, 1803)) The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ... Binomial name Branta bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758) The Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) is a goose of the genus Branta, known in North America as Brant. ... Species See text Many large black birds of the genus Corvus are called ravens. ... A buzzard is a type of large bird, in any of several different but related senses: In the Old World: A medium-sized wide-ranging raptor with a robust body and broad wings. ... Binomial name Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus, 1758 The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey of the harrier family. ... Binomial name Tringa totanus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Redshank or Redshank (Tringa totanus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. ... Binomial name Calidris alba Pallas, 1764 The Sanderling, Calidris alba is a small wader. ... Genera Arenaria Turnstones are two birds species, the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), and the Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala). ... Binomial name Haematopus ostralegus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just Oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. ... Binomial name Calidris alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) The Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader. ... Genera Numenius Bartramia Numenius redirects here. ... Binomial name Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. ... Binomial name Charadrius hiaticula (Linnaeus, 1758) The Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula, is a small plover. ... Binomial name Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout temperate Europe and Asia. ...

Further out, around the shores of Berneray, are mallards, eiders, red-breasted mergansers, and, more rarely, black-throated and great northern divers. Shags and cormorants fish in the seas around Berneray throughout the year, and in summer you can see gannets diving. Common seals often congregate at low tide on the rocks in Bays Loch, and can often be seen from the parking area a little way beyond the Post Office or by taking a boat trip out into the bay. Grey seals, which are larger and can be distinguished by the long 'roman' noses, also haul out there occasionally, but are more common off the West Beach. Though the otters of Berneray are out during the day more often than on the mainland, they are still elusive, and it takes patience and luck to see one. Binomial name Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies (Common Mallard) (Greenland Mallard) (Mexican Duck) The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos (litt: flat billed duck[1])), also known in North America as the Wild Duck, is a common and widespread dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America... Binomial name Somateria mollissima Linnaeus, 1758 Green: breeding Blue: winter/feeding The Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is a large sea duck, which is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. ... Binomial name Mergus serrator Linnaeus, 1758 The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) is a typical merganser. ... Binomial name Gavia arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) Black-throated Diver, known in North America as Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica), is a medium-sized member of the loon or diver family. ... Binomial name Gavia immer (Brunnich, 1764) The Great Northern Diver, known in North America as the Common Loon (Gavia immer), is a large member of the loon, or diver, family. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax carbo Linnaeus, 1758 The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus or Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name bobbi Linnaeus,, 1758 Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) Grey Seal range (in blue) The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura Otters are aquatic or marine carnivorous mammals, members of the large and diverse family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, and others. ...

Possibly the greatest change in modern times occurred in 1999 when the causeway opened between Berneray and Otternish on North Uist. This has made travelling on and off the island, for example for employment, easier. The causeway contains culverts that allow the easy passage of otters and fish from one side of the structure to the other. In addition, broadband Internet provision became available in January 2006, providing another incentive to people wishing to relocate to Berneray and sustain the population and community. In modern usage, a causeway is a road elevated by a bank, usually across a broad body of water or wetland. ... A culvert is a flowing body of water which passes underneath a road, railway, or embankment, or the part thereof that does so. ...

External links

• Isle of Berneray community website