Mugdrum Island lies in the Firth of Tay on the east coast of Scotland, opposite the town of Newburgh in Fife. It is low-lying and reedy, and covers an area of .[1] It is the only significant island in the firth.[2] The Tay splits into two channels here, known as the North Deep and the South Deep.
The island was once a possession of Lindores Abbey, and is referred to under the name Redinche (meaning either "red island" or "reed island") in the abbey's foundation charter.[3] In the 17th century, it became attached to the Mugdrum estate near Newburgh.[4] The island was formerly run as a farm, growing cereals, potatoes, and turnips (as well as reeds, which were harvested for thatch). The last tenant left in 1926.[5] It is now a nature reserve under the stewardship of the Tay Valley Wildfowlers' Association.[6]