SE landing on Great Skellig

Skellig Michael

Little Skellig

Little Skellig seen from Skellig Michael

The Skellig Islands are two small, steep and rocky islands lying about 16 km west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. They are famous for their thriving gannet and puffin populations, and for the early Christian monastery near the top of Great Skellig. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1952x2592, 2344 KB) SE landing area showing the old steps up to the monastic site at the top of the picture. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1952x2592, 2344 KB) SE landing area showing the old steps up to the monastic site at the top of the picture. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 142 KB) Skellig Michael, an island 12 km west of County Kerry in Ireland. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 142 KB) Skellig Michael, an island 12 km west of County Kerry in Ireland. ... Skellig Michael Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichil in the Irish language, meaning Michaels rock), also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 15 kilometres west off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 305 KB) Little Skellig, an island off the west coast of County Kerry in Ireland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 305 KB) Little Skellig, an island off the west coast of County Kerry in Ireland. ... Little Skellig is the smaller of the two Skellig Islands, situated some 14 km off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ... Image File history File links Wikipedia_dscf8367. ... Image File history File links Wikipedia_dscf8367. ... Little Skellig is the smaller of the two Skellig Islands, situated some 14 km off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ... Skellig Michael Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichil in the Irish language, meaning Michaels rock), also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 15 kilometres west off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ... Iveragh is a peninsula of County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Tralee Code: KY Area: 4,746 km² Population (2006) 139,616 Website: www. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ...

Little Skellig

The smaller island is Little Skellig (Sceilig Bheag in Irish). It is closed to the public, and holds Ireland's largest and the world's second-largest Northern Gannet colony, with almost 30,000 pairs. It is about 1.5 km east of Great Skellig. Little Skellig is the smaller of the two Skellig Islands, situated some 14 km off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ...

Great Skellig

Also known as Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl in Irish), this is the larger of the two islands, rising to over 230 m above sea level. With a sixth-century Christian monastery perched on a ledge close to the top, Great Skellig is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Skellig Michael Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichil in the Irish language, meaning Michaels rock), also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 15 kilometres west off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. ... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Wildlife

Both of the Skellig islands are well known for their seabird colonies, and together comprise one of the most important seabird sites in Ireland, both for the population size and for the species diversity. The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ...

Among the breeding birds are European Storm-Petrels, Northern Gannets, Fulmars, Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, Common Guillemots, Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins (with 4000 or more puffins on Great Skellig alone). Smaller numbers of Choughs and Peregrine Falcons can also be seen. Binomial name Hydrobates pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Storm-petrel or Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) is a small bird of the storm-petrel family, Hydrobatidae, part of the seabird order Procellariiformes. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Species (Linnaeus, 1761) (A. Smith, 1840) For the aircraft, see Fairey Fulmar The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. ... Binomial name Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich, 1764) The Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. ... Species Rissa tridactyla Rissa brevirostris The Kittiwakes (genus Rissa) are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae. ... Binomial name Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763) The Common Guillemot, known as the Common Murre in North America, Uria aalge, is a large alcid. ... Binomial name Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758 The Razorbill, Alca torda, is a large alcid, 38-43 cm in length, with a 60-69 cm wingspan. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ... Binomial name Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Linnaeus, 1758) The Red-billed Chough, or just Chough (pronounced ), Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. ... Binomial name Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), sometimes formerly known in North America as Duck Hawk, is a medium-sized falcon about the size of a large crow: 38-53 cm (15 to 21 inches) long. ...

The surrounding waters teem with life also. Grey Seals are common, and Basking Sharks, Minke Whales, dolphins and Leatherback Turtles have also been recorded. The islands have many interesting dive sites due to the clear water, abundance of life and underwater cliffs down to 60 metres (200 feet). 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. ... Binomial name Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765) The Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus), also known as the Bone Shark, is the second largest fish alive, after the Whale Shark. ... Binomial name Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepede, 1804 Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867 Minke Whale range Antarctic Minke Whale range Dwarf Minke Whale range The Minke Whale or Lesser Rorqual is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. ... Genera See article below. ... Binomial name Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the biggest of all turtles alive, reaching a length of 2 m (6. ... This article identifies popular recreational diving sites around the world and describes the features of a dive site. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Skellig Islands

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Skellig Michael
• A Project Web Site about The Skellig Islands
• Skelligs Islands - A website detailing information about visiting the islands
• SkelligsRock - A website detailing the islands history and wildlife