Nonsuch Island, Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Nonsuch Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda
. It is located in St George's Parish
, in the northeast of the territory. It is 5.7 ha
(14 acres) in area and is situated at the eastern entrance to Castle Harbour, close to the south-easternmost point of Cooper's Island
(now ostensibly part of the much larger St David's Island
). Latitude (DMS): 32° 20' 52 N Longitude (DMS): 64° 39' 48 W
quarantine hospital
. In 1930 it served as a base for William Beebe
and Otis Barton
's landmark bathysphere dive.
of the once barren island into a 'Living Museum of pre-colonial Bermuda' is the lifetime work of now retired Bermudian ornithologist and conservationist
David B. Wingate
, and part of his effort to bring back from near-extinction the once plentiful endemic nocturnal seabird
, and national emblem
of Bermuda, the Cahow. This project involves the reintroduction of other species, notably the West Indian Topshell
and the Yellow-crowned Night Heron
.
Accounts written at the time of Bermuda's settlement leave no doubt that herons and egrets of several species were resident and breeding on the island. Diego Ramirez (in Wilkinson 1950) describing the events of his shipwreck on Bermuda in 1603, wrote of "the many very large dark herons" and Sylvanus Jourdain, (in Lefroy 1877), a survivor of the Sea Venture
shipwreck of 1609 that led to British settlement, reported in 1610 that "there are also great store and plenty of herons and those so familiar and tame that we beat them down from the trees with stones and staves, but such were young herons. Besides many white herons without so much as a black or grey feather on them." Likewise, William Strachey (in Lefroy 1877), another survivor of the Sea Venture and the official chronicler of the Virginia expedition, wrote of the "white and grey Hernshawes and bittons."
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It is located in St George's Parish
St. George's Parish, Bermuda
St. George's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers.It is located in the north-easternmost part of the island chain, containing a small part of the main island around Tucker's Town and the Tucker's Town...
, in the northeast of the territory. It is 5.7 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(14 acres) in area and is situated at the eastern entrance to Castle Harbour, close to the south-easternmost point of Cooper's Island
Cooper's Island, Bermuda
Cooper's Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 77 acre island is located in the northeast of Castle Harbor, and thanks to reclamation work is now joined to St...
(now ostensibly part of the much larger St David's Island
St. David's Island, Bermuda
St. David's Island is one of the main islands of Bermuda. It is located in the far north of the territory, one of the two similarly sized islands that makeup the majority of St...
). Latitude (DMS): 32° 20' 52 N Longitude (DMS): 64° 39' 48 W
History
In 1865 it served as a Yellow FeverYellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
quarantine hospital
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
. In 1930 it served as a base for William Beebe
William Beebe
William Beebe, born Charles William Beebe was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author...
and Otis Barton
Otis Barton
Frederick Otis Barton, Jr. was an American deep-sea diver, inventor and actor.Born in New York, the independently wealthy Barton designed the first bathysphere and made a dive with William Beebe off Bermuda in June 1930. They set the first record for deep-sea diving by descending 600 feet...
's landmark bathysphere dive.
Environment
The island is a wildlife sanctuary. Wooded and with a small freshwater marsh, access to the public is strictly limited. The restorationIsland restoration
The ecological restoration of islands, or island restoration, is the application of the principles of ecological restoration to islands and island groups. Islands, due to their isolation, are home to many of the world's endemic species, as well as important breeding grounds for seabirds and some...
of the once barren island into a 'Living Museum of pre-colonial Bermuda' is the lifetime work of now retired Bermudian ornithologist and conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
David B. Wingate
David B. Wingate
Dr David Balcombe Wingate OBE, born October 11, 1935, is an ornithologist, naturalist and conservationist. He was born in Bermuda.In 1951 he helped Robert Cushman Murphy and Louis S...
, and part of his effort to bring back from near-extinction the once plentiful endemic nocturnal seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
, and national emblem
National emblem
A national emblem symbolically represents a nation. Most national emblems originate in the natural world, such as animals or birds, but another object may serve. National emblems may appear on many things such as the national flag, coat of arms, or other patriotic materials...
of Bermuda, the Cahow. This project involves the reintroduction of other species, notably the West Indian Topshell
Cittarium pica
Cittarium pica, common name the West Indian top shell or magpie shell, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae. This species has a large black and white shell....
and the Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron , also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron...
.
Accounts written at the time of Bermuda's settlement leave no doubt that herons and egrets of several species were resident and breeding on the island. Diego Ramirez (in Wilkinson 1950) describing the events of his shipwreck on Bermuda in 1603, wrote of "the many very large dark herons" and Sylvanus Jourdain, (in Lefroy 1877), a survivor of the Sea Venture
Sea Venture
The Sea Venture was a 17th-century English sailing ship, the wrecking of which in Bermuda is widely thought to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest...
shipwreck of 1609 that led to British settlement, reported in 1610 that "there are also great store and plenty of herons and those so familiar and tame that we beat them down from the trees with stones and staves, but such were young herons. Besides many white herons without so much as a black or grey feather on them." Likewise, William Strachey (in Lefroy 1877), another survivor of the Sea Venture and the official chronicler of the Virginia expedition, wrote of the "white and grey Hernshawes and bittons."