Situated to the east of the island of Bressay in the Shetland Islands, the uninhabited Isle of Noss with its Old Red Sandstone cliffs is home to a large number of nesting seabirds including great skua, arctic skua, gannet, kittiwake, fulmar, puffin and huillemot. The island, which has been a National Nature Reserve since 1955, extends over an area of 343 ha (847 acres) and rises to a height of 180m (590 feet) at the Noup of Noss. Now managed jointly by the Garth Estate and Scottish Natural Heritage, the island's small population was largely cleared in the 1870s. Today Noss provides grazing for Shetland ewes and welcomes summer visitors who come to see the island's birdlife.