Calf of Man ( gv, Yn Cholloo ) is a island, off the southwest coast of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. It is separated from the Isle of Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound. Like the nearby rocky islets of

Chicken Rock Chicken Rock ( gv, Carrick ny Kirkey), part of Rushen parish, is the southernmost island administered by the Isle of Man. It lies southwest of the Calf of Man, off Spanish Head on the Manx mainland. The most prominent feature of the rock is th ...

and Kitterland, it is part of the historic parish of Rushen and the current parish district of Arbory and Rushen. It has only two seasonal inhabitants. The word 'calf' derives from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

word ''kalfr'' which means a small island lying near a larger one. One can reach the Calf of Man by boat from either

Port Erin Port Erin ( gv, Purt Çhiarn, meaning ''lord's port'') is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it ...

Port St Mary Port St Mary ( gv, Purt le Moirrey or ''Purt-noo-Moirrey'') is a village district in the south-west of the Isle of Man. The village takes its name from the former Chapel of St Mary ( gv, Keeill Moirrey) which is thought to have overlooked Chap ...

. Cow Harbour and South Harbour are the main landing places. The highest part of the island is in the west where an unnamed peak reaches above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. Until 1939 the island was under private ownership by the Keig family, but the island was purchased by Mr F J Dickens of Silverdale, Lancashire, who then donated it to the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

for it to become a bird sanctuary. In 1951 the Manx Museum & National Trust, which became known as

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

, was established. Manx National Heritage then rented the Calf from the National Trust for a nominal £1 per year until 1986, when ownership was transferred. In 2006 Manx National Heritage employed the charity Manx Wildlife Trust as the Calf Warden Service Provider, but it retains ownership. The island has been a

bird observatory A bird observatory is a centre for the study of bird migration and bird populations. They are usually focused on local birds, but may also include interest in far-flung areas. Most bird observatories are small operations with a limited staff, many ...

since 1959 and welcomes visits from volunteers and ornithologists. The observatory is able to accommodate up to eight visitors in basic self-catering accommodation which can be booked through Manx National Heritage. Calf of Man, Lower Lighthouse - geograph

Calf of Man, Lower Lighthouse - geograph

The Calf of Man and its offshore rocks have no fewer than four

lighthouses A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

: two lighthouses were built in 1818 by Robert Stevenson to warn mariners of the hazards of the

s off the south end of the Calf. These were replaced in 1875 by a lighthouse built on the Chicken Rocks themselves. In 1968, a third lighthouse was built on the Calf after a severe fire destroyed the Chicken Rocks light. The Chicken Rocks lighthouse was later rebuilt.Coakley, F. (2001
Calf of Man Lights
an

, both in: ''A Manx Notebook: An electronic compendium of matters past and present connected with the Isle of Man''. Retrieved 14 May 2007 There are two minor, unfenced roads on the island and two very short streams. Between the Isle of Man and the Calf is the islet of Kitterland, while the islets of The Burroo and The Stack lie close to the Calf's shore. The southern shore of the island encloses a small bay called The Puddle. Almost a mile southwest of the Calf is Chicken Rock, the most southerly part of the Isle of Man's territory. Calf of Man is home to a breeding population of

Manx shearwater The Manx shearwater (''Puffinus puffinus'') is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx shearwaters were called Manks puffins in the 17th century. Puffin is an ...

s, a seabird which derives its name from its presence in Manx waters. The Calf of Man also has a large colony of seals which live and breed on the rocky coastline.

References

External links

Information about the Calf of Man

Calf of Man Bird Observatory
{{Authority control Islands of the Isle of Man Calves (islands) Lighthouses completed in 1818 Lighthouses in the Isle of Man Works of Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)