St Margaret's Island facts for kids
.jpg)
St Margaret's Island (in Welsh, Ynys Farged) is a tiny island in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It's a special place located near Caldey Island in Carmarthen Bay. This island is a tidal island, which means it can sometimes be reached on foot from Caldey Island at very low tide. However, it's not safe to walk there because the water can come back quickly!
Contents
What's in a Name?
The island gets its English name from a small chapel. This chapel was likely built there a long time ago, possibly in the 1600s. People sometimes called it "Little Caldey" too, because it's so close to Caldey Island.
Exploring the Island
When the tide is high, St Margaret's Island is completely surrounded by water. It's separated from Caldey Island by a narrow channel called Little Sound. The island has some old ruins, which are the remains of buildings that used to be there.
You can't visit St Margaret's Island because it's a protected area. It's also quite small, about the size of seven football fields (7 hectares), and its highest point is like a 13-story building (40 meters). The waters around the island are very popular with divers who love to explore the sea life there.
A Look Back in Time
People have had religious connections to St Margaret's Island for a very long time, even before 1748. Later, during the Victorian times (the 1800s), the old chapel was changed into homes. These homes were for workers who dug for limestone on the island. Limestone is a type of rock used in building. By 1851, the quarry was no longer used, and the buildings became ruins. Today, the remains of the chapel and an old field are recorded by experts who study ancient monuments.
Since 1950, The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales has looked after the island. It's a very important place for nature, so it's called a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Trust mainly checks on the seabirds that live there, as it's hard to get to the island.
Amazing Island Wildlife
St Margaret's Island is super important for birds! Many different kinds of seabirds build their nests on its cliffs. It's a sensitive place, meaning we need to be careful to protect it for the birds.
- Cormorants: This island has the largest group of cormorants in all of Wales! About 3% of all the cormorants in Britain live here.
- Other Seabirds: You can also find many other birds like guillemots, razorbills, shags, kittiwakes, and different types of gulls such as great black-backed gulls, lesser black-backed gulls, and herring gulls.
- Puffins: Puffins try to nest in cracks in the rocks. However, there are brown rats on the island, which makes it hard for puffins to dig their usual burrow nests.
Island Plants
The plants on St Margaret's Island are also interesting. You can see common plants like red fescue, common nettle, and hogweed. Closer to the sea, you might spot sea beet, common scurvy grass, and common mallow. These plants are tough and can handle the salty air and windy conditions.
