Skrúður
| Skrúður | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 64 ° 54 '0 " N , 13 ° 37' 0" W | |
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| length | 590 m | |
| width | 530 m | |
| surface | 20 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 160 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
The island of Skrúður is a 160 m high rocky island in front of the Fáskrúðsfjörður , three kilometers east of Cape Hafnarnes north of the entrance to Fáskrúðsfjörður. It consists of basalt and acid magmatite . There is a lively bird life on it: 18 bird species breed on the island. It used to be used to hunt birds and collect eggs. The island has been protected since 1995 . Skrúður belongs to Vattarnes .
The Skrúðsbauer
According to the legend, the Skrúðsbauer lives on Skrúður. This is a troll who stole their sheep from farmers when they grazed on the island. The Skrúðsbauer once conjured up a priest's daughter as a servant. Legend has it that the Skrúðsbauer saved sailors from drowning.
Bird life
A large number of birds nest on the island. The puffin is the most common nesting bird on Skrúður - 150,000 pairs of puffins are expected. Alkenbirds such as the guillemot and the thick-billed mum are common nesting birds. The razorbill and the black guillemot are rarer. The northern gannet started laying its eggs there in 1943 and has settled in well since then. The fulmar and kittiwake are common birds on the rocks of Skrúður. Both the herring gull , and the gull and the black-backed gull have been sighted on the island as well as the eider , the meadow pipit , the wagtail , the snow bunting , the Gray Goose , the Raven , the wave runners and the petrel .
Skrúðshellir
There is a large cave on the island, which can be divided into an outer and an inner half. The front one is estimated at 3,200 m², the inner one at 2,600 m². In total, it measures 125 m in length, 85 m in width and the greatest height is 22 m. Puffins nest in the cave. In the past you rowed from Skrúður to fish. The fishermen lived there in Skrúðshellir.
Syneta disaster
On the night of December 25th to 26th, 1986, the British tanker Syneta ran aground on the cliffs near the island of Skrúður and sank. It was on the way to Eskifjörður. All twelve crew members were killed. They came from Great Britain and Cape Verde . Three Cape Verdean seamen were buried in Gufunes Cemetery in Reykjavík , four British seamen were repatriated and five seamen were missing.
Web links
- http://www.nat.is/travelguide/ahugav_st_skrudur.htm
- http://www.travelnet.is/GHI/isl/journey/sv_al/Faskrudsfjordur.htm
- Syneta