Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel of Great Britain, about a third of the way from Devon to the coast of South Wales. It is about 4.5 km long from north to south by 1 km wide, and is the largest island in the Bristol Channel.
Tourism and postage stamps are the main parts of Lundy's economy. It is also used as a site for scientific research, and the south end of the island is operated as a farm. There are two working lighthouses on the island (and one historic disused one), so Trinity House staff also work on the island from time to time.
M. C. Harman, owner of the island of Lundy in the early decades of the 20th century issued private coinage and postage stamps for local use. Although the island was ruled as a virtual fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom, so this can at best be described as a precursor to later territorial micronations.
Lundy's name is derived from the Norse lunde for the puffinss that nest on the island. However, the numbers of these has decreased dramatically in recent years as a consequence of depredations by rats and possibly of commercial fishing for sand eels, the puffin's principal prey.
As a fairly isolated island on major migration routes, Lundy has a rich bird life and is a popular site for birding. The list of species breeding on the island is long, and the list of those that have been seen on the island much longer. Among the commonest or most visible breeding species are:
