Nonsuch Island

Nonsuch is a small island in Castle Harbour that has been the site of a long ecological restoration: from the 1960s David Wingate cleared introduced species and replanted it with the vegetation Bermuda held before settlement, creating what was called a living museum. It is the centre of the recovery of the cahow, the Bermuda petrel, which was believed extinct for around three hundred years until a handful of pairs were found in 1951. Access is tightly controlled.

History

The island, originally called Nonesuch Island, served in 1865 as a quarantine hospital for yellow fever, and a small cemetery still remains on its eastern part. In 1930 it was the base for the landmark bathysphere dive of William Beebe and Otis Barton (Wikipedia, Nonsuch Island, Bermuda).

What you'll find

• The cahow - the petrel found again in 1951 after three centuries thought extinct.
• The restoration - the island replanted with pre-settlement Bermudian vegetation.
• The nesting burrows - the artificial burrows built to give the birds sites.
• The living museum idea - an ecosystem deliberately rebuilt from records.

When to go

Cahow nesting runs from autumn into spring, with the birds at sea otherwise. Access is by arranged visit only and is very limited. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Good to know

Access is strictly controlled and casual visits are not possible; arrangements must be made well in advance. Numbers are tightly capped to protect the birds. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Cooper's Island is east, and St George's is north.

Key facts