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Saltee
The Saltee Islands ( Irish: ''Oileán an tSalainn''; Old Norse: ''Salt ey'' ) are a pair of small islands lying 5 kilometres off the southern coast of County Wexford in Ireland. The two islands are Great Saltee (89 hectares) and Little Saltee (37 hectares). They have been largely unoccupied since the early 20th century and have been privately owned by the Neale family since 1943. Together the islands cover an area of 1.2 square kilometers. Protected status The islands are a breeding ground for fulmar, gannet, shag, kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, puffin and grey seal. An area surrounding both islands and extending approximately off shore was granted the status of a Special Protection Area to protect the bird habitat. The islands are also at the center of a related Special Area of Conservation named after them, extending to the mainland coastline east of Kilmore Quay. The conservation area specifically addresses: the mud and sand flats on the mainland coastline as well as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airman (novel)
''Airman'', by Eoin Colfer, is a best-selling historical adventure novel set in the 19th century. It was released in the UK, Ireland and USA in January 2008. The novel was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal. Colfer was inspired to write the book after a frightening skydiving experience. He combined this with his childhood observation that the Saltee Islands would make an excellent prison. Most of the story is fictional. The Saltee Islands have been uninhabited since the 19th century and all of the main characters in the story are fictional. Plot The book begins with the Paris World's Fair of 1878, which Declan Broekhart and his wife, Catherine, are attending. They are there mainly to take a ride in a new hot air balloon. While they are in the air, along with one Victor Vigny, the balloon is shot at by men from the ground. During the forced landing, Conor Broekhart is born, flying over Paris. It is 1887. Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kilmore Quay
Kilmore Quay () is a fishing village near Kilmore, County Wexford, Kilmore, in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As of 2016, it has a population of 372. It is a fishing village, but its leisure facilities such as sailing, and Angling, sea angling charters are also of economic importance. Tourism The village holds a seafood festival during the summer with seafood served every day, live music in the local pubs, and activities such as raft races and family fun days (pony rides, theatre). Architecturally notable buildings in the village include St Peter's Church, which was built in 1875 to a design attributed to architect George Ashlin. Ballyteige Castle, a 15th-century tower house which was the ancestral home of the Anglo-Irish Whitty family, who lived there until the 1650s, is approximately 1 mile north of Kilmore Quay. The Saltee Islands lie off the coast near Kilmore Quay, and boat trips to these islands are available from the village. The two islands, Great Salte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Wexford
County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory of Uí Ceinnselaig, Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinnsealaigh''), whose capital was Ferns, County Wexford, Ferns. Wexford County Council is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority for the county. The population of the county was 149,722 at the 2016 census. History The county is rich in evidence of early human habitation.Stout, Geraldine. "Essay 1: Wexford in Prehistory 5000 B.C. to 300 AD" in ''Wexford: History and Society'', pp 1 - 39. ''Portal tombs'' (sometimes called dolmens) exist at Ballybrittas (on Bree Hill) and at Newbawn — and date from the Neolithic period or earlier. Remains from the Bronze Age period are far more widespread. E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Shag
The European shag or common shag (''Gulosus aristotelis'') is a species of cormorant. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Gulosus''. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa, mainly wintering in its breeding range except for the northernmost birds. In Britain this seabird is usually referred to as simply the shag. The scientific genus name derives from the Latin for glutton. The species name ''aristotelis'' commemorates the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Taxonomy The European shag was formerly classified within the genus '' Phalacrocorax'', but a 2014 study found it to be significantly more diverged than the clade containing '' Phalacrocorax'' and '' Urile'', but basal to the clade containing '' Nannopterum'' and '' Leucocarbo'', and thus classified it in its own genus, ''Gulosus''. The IOC followed this classification in 2021. ''Gulosus'' is thought to have split from the ''Nannopterum''-''Leucocarbo'' clade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and Asia from the "New World" of the Americas in the European perception of Earth, the World. The Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Europe and Africa to the east, and North America, North and South America to the west. As one component of the interconnected World Ocean, it is connected in the north to the Arctic Ocean, to the Pacific Ocean in the southwest, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, and the Southern Ocean in the south (other definitions describe the Atlantic as extending southward to Antarctica). The Atlantic Ocean is divided in two parts, by the Equatorial Counter Current, with the North(ern) Atlantic Ocean and the South(ern) Atlantic Ocean split at about 8th paralle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Razorbill
The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis impennis''). Wild populations live in the subarctic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Razorbills are primarily black with a white underside. The male and female are identical in plumage; however, males are generally larger than females. This agile bird, which is capable of both flight and diving, has a predominantly aquatic lifestyle and only comes to land in order to breed. It is monogamous, choosing one partner for life. Females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating, and once the chick has hatched, they take turns foraging for their young. In 1918, the razorbill was protected in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the ''Artemis Fowl'' series. In September 2008, Colfer was commissioned to write the sixth instalment of the ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series, titled '' And Another Thing ...'', which was published in October 2009. In October 2016, in a contract with Marvel Comics, he released '' Iron Man: The Gauntlet''. He served as Laureate na nÓg (Ireland's Children's Laureate) between 2014 and 2016. Biography Eoin Colfer was born in Wexford, Ireland. He attained worldwide recognition in 2001, when the first ''Artemis Fowl'' book was published and became a ''New York Times'' Best Seller, as did some sequels. Among his other popular works are '' Half Moon Investigations'', '' The Wish List'', ''The Supernaturalist'', and a series of Eoin Colfer's Legends. In January 2008, Colfer publi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Area Of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and approximately 1,000 species listed in annex I and II of the directive which are considered to be of European interest following criteria given in the directive. They must be chosen from the Sites of Community Importance by the member states and designated SAC by an act assuring the conservation measures of the natural habitat. SACs complement Special Protection Areas and together form a network of protected sites across the European Union called Natura 2000. This, in turn, is part of the Emerald network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) under the Berne Convention. Assessment methodology in the United Kingdom Prior to being designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), sites have been assessed under a two-stage pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds. Together with Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the EU, called Natura 2000. Each SPA has an EU code – for example the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code ''UK9009031''. In the United Kingdom As at 21 September 2006, there were 252 classified SPAs and 12 proposed SPAs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 implement the terms of the Directive in Scotland, England and Wales. In Great Britain, SPAs (and SACs) designated on land or in the intertidal area are normally also notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and in Northern Ireland as Areas of Special Scientif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey Seal
The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". It is the only species classified in the genus ''Halichoerus''. Its name is spelled gray seal in the US; it is also known as Atlantic seal and the horsehead seal. Taxonomy There are two recognized subspecies of this seal: The type specimen of ''H. g. grypus'' ( Zoological Museum of Copenhagen specimen ZMUC M11-1525, caught off the island of Amager, Danish part of the Baltic Sea) was believed lost for many years but was rediscovered in 2016, and a DNA test showed it belonged to a Baltic Sea specimen rather than from Greenland, as had previously been assumed (because it was first described in Otto Fabricius' book on the animals in Greenland: ''Fauna Groenlandica''). The name ''H. g. grypus'' was therefore transferred to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puffin
Puffins are any of three species of small alcids ( auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Two species, the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks that get brightly colored during the breeding season. They shed the colorful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique underwater. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. Etymology The English name "puffin" – puffed in the sense of s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kittiwake
The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where ''Rissa brevirostris'' is not found, the black-legged kittiwake is often known simply as kittiwake, or more colloquially in some areas as tickleass or tickleace. The name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. The genus name ''Rissa'' is from the Icelandic name ''Rita'' for the black-legged kittiwake. Description The two species are indeed physically very similar. They have a white head and body, grey back, grey wings tipped solid black and a bright yellow bill. Black-legged kittiwake adults are somewhat larger (roughly in length with a wingspan of ) than red-legged kittiwakes ( in length with a wingspan around ). Other dif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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