The island is a low, bare, limestone outcropping, approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the western shore of the Quinte peninsula.[2] It is named after Scotch Bonnet Ridge, a nearby glacial feature, a north–south belt of glacio-lacustrine clay and till.
The possibility of operating a lighthouse on the island was explored as early as 1844.[3] Funds were found to construct a lighthouse after the ship Christiana was wrecked on the island in 1851.
Like other similar islands, the island is an important resting spot for birds migrating across the lake.[2] During breeding season large numbers of waterbirds, like herring gulls and double-crested cormorants, raise their young on the island.[4]
^"Scotch Bonnet Island National Wildlife Area". Retrieved 2017-06-22. In 2009, Scotch Bonnet Island was the eighth largest cormorant colony (896 nests) in the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario.