Fugloy (Danish Fuglø, Old Norse Fuglaey) is the eastern-most island in the Faroe Islands.
The name means bird island, and refers to the large number of birds that nest on the island's cliffs.
There are two settlements:
Kirkja on the south-coast and
Hattarvík on the east-coast.
Fugloy is special because of the stone-material consisting of basalt stratum, making the island very steep
and inaccessible. The Eystfelli cliffs, which are 448m are located on the east coast. Nearby on the 47-
metre-high sea stack Stapin there is also a lighthouse, a natural arch feature and what looks like the
outline of an Egyptian Pharaoh (the Pharaoh's Face).
Mountains
There are three mountains on Fugloy:
Flora and fauna
Important Bird Area
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its
significance as a breeding site for seabirds, especially Atlantic puffins (15,000 pairs), European storm
petrels (25,000 pairs) and black guillemots (100 pairs), as well as for about 50 breeding pairs of Eurasian
whimbrels.[1]
Fugloy was also a nesting site for the now extinct great auk (garefowl). On the east side of the island
there is a rock ledge called Gorfuglarókin "Garefowl Ledge", and written sources confirm that great auks
were still breeding on Fugloy in the 18th century.[2]
Mammals
Grey seals are regular visitors to the coastlines of Fugloy. Mountain hares were introduced by humans,
and inhabit the higher altitudes on the island. Fugloy has its own subspecies of house mouse Mus
musculus domesticus, as do some of the other Faroese islands.
Flora
In contrast to the other Norðoyar islands, Fugloy is green and fertile all the way up to the mountain tops.
Some rare plants are found on the island, e.g. the Fugloy Eyebright Euphrasia foulaensis.
History
The island has been populated since the Viking age. One of the most important stories of the island is
that of the Floksmenn. They were a flock (group) of rebels, in the Middle Ages, from Fugloy. The most
notorious of the separatists, (referred by the Danish governmental officials in Tórshavn) were Høgni
Nev, Rógvi Skel, Hálvdan Úlvsson and Sjúrður við Kellingará from Hattarvík. These men controlled and
ravaged the northern parts of the Faroe Islands for a long time. This is one of the most important
separatist myths of the Faroe islands.
The smarter Sjúrður við Kellingará was forced to go the more militant way of rebellion by Høgni Nev and
Hálvdan Ulvsson who were more criminally minded. All the four men were later caught and sentenced
to death. Sjúrður við kellingar was shown mercy and amnesty, but the story goes that he could not live
with the crimes that he and the others had committed under their "little" rebellion and asked to be
executed with the other Floksmenn.
Because the harbour of Fugloy is not protected by breakwaters, it has stopped any form of economic
growth since the early 20th century. The island's only income has been agriculture and some fishing, but
also the famous catching of birds such as the puffin has been used on Fugloy to this day.
The Faroese parliament has tried to work out plans for the future of the island, such as the island getting
electricity in the 1960s. In the 1980s a road from Kirkja to Hattarvík was built and a helicopter route to
the island was established as well.
When the population was at its peak at the beginning of the 20th century, there were around 250-300
people living there. Due to a change in lifestyles and norms, island life has become less popular and
people have moved away as a result. Today, there are only five people living all year around in Hattarvík
and some 20 in Kirkja. There are few jobs on the islands; one shop and few jobs on the harbour are all
that there are.
Másin the mail boat
Until taken out of service in 2010, the 1950s mail boat Másin was used as transit to Fugloy, making a
popular attraction in itself. A newer boat is now used as a replacement but at Kirkja, passengers still
have just a few minutes to jump ashore and get bags and their things with them. Oil for the electricity
plant on Fugloy is transported in oil barrels and garbage is transported by the same boat and must be
landed at the same time.
Tourism
The name Fugloy comes from the Faroese word fuglur for "bird" so it is not surprising that the island has
a rich fauna of sea and land birds, especially puffins (Faroese: lundi) which inhabit the island in
thousands. The view over to the nearest islands Svínoy and Borðoy is excellent, and sunsets that can be
seen are among the things that make Fugloy feature in old pictures of the Faroe Islands.
