Ahelaid
Estonia · Europe
About
Ahelaid is a small uninhabited islet in Estonia. It lies in the Baltic Sea, south-east of Hiiumaa island. It has a surface area of 25 hectares. It is part of the Hiiumaa Islets Landscape Reserve.
Ahelaid lies 10.5 km from the Sarve Peninsula on Hiiumaa, 14 km from the Salinõmme peninsula on Hiiumaa and 6.5 km from Tammiski nukk on Muhu. Although it is closer to Muhu than to Hiiumaa, it is administered as part of Hiiu County. Near the island are some smaller islets: to the north, stony Aherahu; to the west Ankrurahu, which has some vegetation; to the east Luigerahu and to the northeast a few stone piles barely above the sea level called Kajakarahud.
The average height of the islet is below 2 meters and the highest point is 4.6 meters.
There are 45 bird species nesting on the islet annually, including sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) and whitethroat (Sylvia communis). All together 60 species of birds have been recorded.
The islet is also known as Hakilaid, probably from the common eider (Somateria mollissima) (Estonian: hahk).
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.