Auskerry should not be confused with Out Skerries.
| Coordinates: | 59.0323°N -2.5698°W |
| Location Map: | Scotland Orkney |
| Gridreference: | HY675165 |
| Scots Name: | Soond[1] |
| Norse Name: | Austrsker |
| Meaning Of Name: | east skerry |
| Area: | 85ha |
| Area Rank: | 157= |
| Highest Elevation: | 18m (59feet) |
| Population: | 2 |
| Population Rank: | 77= |
| Population Density: | 4.7 people/km2 |
| Island Group: | Orkney |
| Local Authority: | Orkney Islands |
| References: | [2] [3] [4] |
| Module: |
Auskerry (sco|Soond; non|Austrsker, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.
Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3miles south of Stronsay.[7] [8] A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement.[7] The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals.[7]
Auskerry has been inhabited for nearly 50 years by a family (of the reporter Hamish Auskerry) who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep.[9] There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat.[10]
The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth.[11] It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.[12] It is attached to two flats; the lower one is used all year as a store and the top one is used mainly in summer.
The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship, ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog.[13] The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.
Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and European storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of European storm petrels in Great Britain nest on the island.[14] The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of seabirds.[15]