Post by Ptarmigan on Jun 19, 2008 8:13:00 GMT
Sheep Island lies just off the coast, near Ballintoy.
The local boatmen will readily take visitors fishing or for trips along the coast. Sheep Island, a perpendicular stack with a flat grassy top half a mile offshore, has an enormous cormorant colony. The rats that killed off the island's colony of puffins have themselves been routed and some puffins have come back recently.
Sheep Island, Ballintoy
Sheep Island, BallintoySheep Island is actually owned by the National Trust.
Special Protection Area (SPA)
Sheep Island off Ballintoy, owned by the National Trust since 1967, is an SPA. The main interest relevant to the designation is the nationally important colony of breeding cormorants. Other seabirds also breed there in moderate numbers.
Sheep Island owned by the 'National Trust'
Sheep Island off Ballintoy, owned by the National Trust since 1967, is an SPA. The main interest relevant to the designation is the nationally important colony of breeding cormorants. Other seabirds also breed there in moderate numbers.
Sheep Island owned by the 'National Trust'Two Postcards of Sheep Island can be seen at the foot of this page.
1 ~ Sheep Island on a real hand-coloured card - unused and marked as British Production throughout
&
2 ~ This time Sheep Island is shown as a real photograph with foreign printing and was posted in 1939
Two old Postcards of Sheep Island
&
2 ~ This time Sheep Island is shown as a real photograph with foreign printing and was posted in 1939
Two old Postcards of Sheep IslandSheep Island, as seen from Ballintoy Harbour, with Rathlin Island in the distance.
Sheep Island, from Ballintoy Harbour Here is another excellent Photograph of Sheep IslandCheers
Ptarmigan