Swona

Swona is the more northerly of two islands in the Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and Caithness on the Scottish mainland. It lies in the southern approach to Scapa Flow, west of South Ronaldsay. Situated in the tidal stream of the Pentland Firth, a tidal race is present at both the north and south ends of the island, being minimal briefly at the turn of the tide. Between the races is a calm eddy which extends down-tide as the tide strengthens. The races are highly visible, with over-falls and whirlpools. Large swell waves can also be present, especially in bad weather conditions. When entering or leaving the eddies crossing the races, even large powerful vessels can be pushed off course, such is the demarcation between the relatively calm eddy and the fast-moving tide in the races. Swona is about long by about wide, with a maximum height of approximately and an area of about . It is made up of Old Red Sandstone with cliffs on the east coast. with a number of rare plants. ==History==

The island takes its name from Old Norse, Svíney or Swefney, meaning either "Swine Isle" or "Sweyn's Isle". There is a similarly named island, Svínoy, in the Faroe Islands. There are prehistoric, pre-Norse and Norse remains on the island. James had Parkinsons Disease and died c. 1976 of a perforated stomach ulcer. Violet died c. 1984 in South Ronaldsay. They returned only periodically to the island. Many of the houses, while in a state of dilapidation, are as they were left, with various possessions still to be seen where they were left. Swona is one of the locations described in Cal Flyn's Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape (2020, William Collins: ). In July 2022 the Pentland Ferries' , running between Gills Bay and St Margaret's Hope, grounded on Swona. Alfred was refloated within one and a half hours. ==Wildlife==

When the population departed they left a herd of beef cattle – eight cows and one bull (Shorthorn - Aberdeen-Angus cross). Five generations later, in 2004, the herd which had turned feral was still going strong, and is now classified as a new breed in the World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds. It then consisted of ten bulls, four cows and two calves. Two calves are born each spring, although not all live to maturity. The herd gets no additional feed, although it is checked by a vet each year. The animals are self-selecting for hardiness, easy calving, and low-maintenance, feeding off the grass and seaweed. Having been separated from the mainland for so long, they are completely disease-free, and have reverted to wild behaviour. Because of this, DNA samples have been taken, from the ears of some of the cattle that died. In the summer the main herd is usually in the centre of the island. By 2012 the herd had settled to an average of seventeen animals. This appears to be around the maximum number that the island can support. In 2017 The BBC documentary series ''Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney'' briefly visited Swona; Chris Packham counted twenty cows and calves and three bulls. Birds The island is part of the Pentland Firth Islands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to thousands of breeding seabirds, including Arctic terns, which have a colony on the northern part of the island, and Atlantic puffins, which burrow into the hillside. It is also part of the Pentland Firth Islands Important Bird Area (IBA), so designated by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of seabirds. ==See also==