Sumburgh Head

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| name = Sumburgh Head

| native_name = {{Native name|nn|Dunrøstar høfdi}}

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| type = Headland

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| photo_caption = Sumburgh Head

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| location = Shetland Archipelago, Scotland

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Sumburgh Head is a headland located at the southern tip of the main island of the Shetland Archipelago, in northern Scotland. The head consists of a 100 m high rocky spur and topped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. In the Old Norse language, Sumburgh Head was called Dunrøstar høfdi, it means "The Head onto the loud tide-race", referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost. Robert Stevenson was the engineer in charge of building the Sumburgh Head lighthouse. Work started on the building in 1819, and the light was first lit in 1821.

Local ecology

The area is now recognized as a nature reserve by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It is a popular viewing point for whales and dolphins.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/sumburgh-head|title=Sumburgh Head Nature Reserve, Shetland Islands - The RSPB|website=www.rspb.org.uk}} The cliffs are home to large numbers of seabirds with 33,000 puffins being estimated in the year 2000. These numbers have declined sharply: for example only 570 of the birds were counted in 2017. The decline in Puffin numbers also appears to apply to other species native to Sumburgh Head.[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/03/shetland-seabirds-climate-change-catastrophe-terns-kittiwakes-puffins Eerie silence falls on Shetland cliffs that once echoed to seabirds’ cries], the guardian.com, Robin McKie, 3 June 2018 The headland has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports large colonies of breeding seabirds.{{cite web |url= https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/2608 |title=Sumburgh Head|author= |date=2024|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 2024-09-01}}

Nearby locations

Sumburgh Airport, which takes its name from the head, lies immediately to the north, and serves as the main airport for the Shetland Islands. Flights from here connect to mainland Scotland, the Orkney Islands and Norway.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hial.co.uk/sumburgh-airport|title=Sumburgh Airport|first=Highlands and Islands Airports|last=Limited|website=Highlands and Islands Airports Limited}}

The archaeological site of Jarlshof, at which a series of settlements existed dating back to the Neolithic period.{{Cite web|url=https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/jarlshof-prehistoric-and-norse-settlement/|title=Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement|website=www.historicenvironment.scot}}

The tiny settlement of Grutness, which is the terminus of the Shetland Mainland to Fair Isle ferry service, lies {{convert|1|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off|spell=in}} north of Sumburgh Head.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shetland.gov.uk/ferries/timetable/4|title=Ferry Timetables – Shetland Islands Council}}

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse{{Cite web|url=https://www.nlb.org.uk/lighthouses/sumburgh-head/|title=Sumburgh Head|website=Northern Lighthouse Board}}

Gallery

File:After the Storm 1 (12346522623).jpg|After the Storm 1

File:SumburghHead webcam.jpg|A webcam installed near Sumburgh Head lighthouse. The cliffs used to be home to large numbers of seabirds. The area is an RSPB nature reserve.

File:Beachhead Sunrise IMG 0734 (16324623265).jpg|Beachhead Sunrise

File:Banks, Sumburgh Head - geograph.org.uk - 3560076.jpg|Banks, Sumburgh Head

File:Bird on the Wing MG 8369 (33457736540).jpg|Bird on the Wing

File:East Coast of Sumburgh Head - geograph.org.uk - 2036706.jpg|East Coast of Sumburgh Head