pitch every 2 minutes. The North and South horns did not blast together, being approximately 67 seconds apart. This facility was discontinued in 1989. The May lighthouse was mentioned in John Buchan's 1934 novel The Free Fishers – “Far out the brazier on the May was burning with a steady glow, like some low-swung planet shaming with its ardour the cold stars.” Conservation designations The Isle of May was designated a national nature reserve in 1956 by the Nature Conservancy (NC). The NC and its successor bodies, the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC), Scottish Natural Heritage and NatureScot, have managed the island since this date, although it remained under the ownership of the Northern Lighthouse Board until 1989. It is now owned by NatureScot. As well as being an NNR, the Isle of May holds multiple other national and international conservation designations as an important site for wildlife: Forth Islands Special Protection Area (SPA) Isle of May Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Isle of May Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Classified as a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. See also List of islands of Scotland Trinity House of Leith References Further reading General Guide to the Isle of May: Fife's own Island of Mystery and History, Sea Cliffs, Sea Birds and Seals, James Allan, Tervor Publishing, 4th Edn, 2015, Return to One Man's Island: Paintings and Sketches from the Isle of May, Keith Brockie, Birlinn, 2012, Aboard HMS May Island, Ron Morris, Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society 2006, Strangers to the Land by Ruth Dickson tells of her family life story while lightkeepers on the Isle of May and moving to Canada. External links Details of the National Nature Reserve Scottish Seabird Centre Isle of May Ferry British Archaeology, no 18, October 1996: News Lighthouse depot database Electric Scotland Indicator loops of the Royal Navy at May Island National nature reserves in Scotland Islands of the Forth Uninhabited islands of Fife Scheduled monuments in Scotland Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North East Fife Protected areas of Fife Bird observatories in Scotland Works of Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)