Booby Island

Booby Island is a steep cone of rock about a hectare in size and some thirty-eight metres high, covered in dense brush, sitting in The Narrows, the channel between St Kitts and Nevis; its name comes from the brown pelicans known locally as boobies, and eight seabird species nest on it, sooty and bridled terns the most numerous, along with laughing gulls, roseate terns, brown noddies and red-billed tropicbirds. It is an Important Bird Area, and a sailing regatta has been held around it every year since 2008. Every ferry between the two islands passes close by, which is how most people see it. The rock has never been inhabited and landing is not practical on any but the calmest days.

What's there

• The seabird colony - terns, laughing gulls, noddies and tropicbirds on the rock.
• The channel position - a rock standing in the middle of The Narrows.
• The ferry pass - the crossing that runs close by it several times a day.
• The cone - a brush-covered hill of rock with no settlement.

When to go

December to April is calmest for the crossing. Seabirds nest from April or May until between August and October. Swell makes any close approach impossible at times.

Things to know

Landing is not practical and the island is seen from the water. It is small and the view from a passing ferry is brief. There is no dedicated trip to it from either island.

Nearby

St Kitts is west, and Nevis is east.

Key facts