Auskerry

 

Auskerry is a small, uninhabited low-lying island situated 5 km south of Stronsay in the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland. The shore is a mixture of rocky platforms interspersed with low cliffs and boulder/shingle beaches. The vegetation is mainly composed of sheep-grazed Calluna heath and acidic grassland, with smaller areas of other semi-natural habitats including neutral, marshy and coastal grasslands, bog and mire, and standing water. There is an extensive area of peat cuttings in the south of the island, almost all of which are now disused. The site is important as a nesting area for a number of breeding seabirds. These birds feed outside the SPA in the waters surrounding the island, as well as more distant waters. 

Qualifying species

For individual species accounts visit the Species Accounts section

 This site qualifies under Article 4.1 of the Directive (79/409/EEC) by supporting populations of European importance of the following species listed on Annex I of the Directive:

During the breeding season;