Visitors flock back to Fair Isle Bird Observatory

The Observatory maintained its ornithological monitoring and ranger services during this six-year gap, based temporarily from the South Lighthouse, so for the staff who were here during this period, having a dedicated Observatory building once again is a welcome return.

The new building has also created further employment opportunities, once again requiring kitchen and hospitality staff and bumping the staff team up to ten from the three of the last few years. The building itself is an impressive structure for such a remote island, with a spacious bar and lounge, a large kitchen from which some incredible meals are produced, and over 20 ensuite rooms available to stay in, with impressive views over the landscape.

Visitors have been flocking to Fair Isle for its birds for many years, with some having stayed in every iteration of the Observatory. The opening of the new building has drawn many Fair Isle regulars back, especially those who have been unable to visit in recent years, keen to see the new building and experience the magic of Fair Isle again. We're also welcoming those who haven’t visited before to come and see what all the fuss is about.

Having more birders around again has made Log (the daily collecting of bird sightings) more of a social event as visitors join to contribute their sightings, and it’s always great to see guests who haven’t necessarily encountered this before also getting involved. It’s not all about the birds of course, and the Observatory accommodation enables tourists of every kind to come and stay on the isle to explore its many facets.

The reopening of the observatory has also been welcomed by the island residents, who have regained a social space and the facilities needed to host more visitors on the island, with plenty of tourists and knitters visiting throughout the course of the season.

Why is Fair Isle such a great spot for birdwatching?

Fair Isle’s location means it falls in the migration path of a number of species moving north in the spring and south in the autumn, between breeding grounds in Scandinavia, Greenland and Iceland, and wintering areas in the UK, Europe or Africa. A huge range of migrant birdscan be seen passing through the isle, occasionally arriving in huge numbers if weather conditions are right. Alongside these common migrants comes a scattering of scarcer birds –species that have been blown off course or flown a little too far and overshot their destination.

Some of the regularly-seen scarce migrants that pass through include Red-backed Shrike, Rosefinch, Barred Warbler, Wryneck, and Bluethroat.

Occasionally, much rarer birds known as vagrants will turn up, with one particular Fair Isle ‘speciality’ being the Lanceolated Warbler, a mouse-like warbler from Siberia. Other potential exciting rarities that could arriveinclude Siberian Rubythroat, White’s Thrush, Pechora Pipit and Brown Shrike.

Throughout the spring and autumn, the Head of Ornithology and the two Assistant Wardens will be out each morning carrying out a daily census. This involves walking routes around the island, counting the number of individuals of every migratory species of bird they see to monitor the numbers passing through. Butterflies, moths, bees and cetaceans are also recorded.

The resulting bird counts, along with any additional sightings from visitors, are then compiled each evening during Log, and added to the latest sightings on the website.

Another big part of Observatory work is bird ringing, and this is carried out daily through regular trap rounds. Most of the birds ringed on Fair Isle are caught in large funnel-shaped traps called Heligoland traps, a specialised catching method used in areas exposed to windy weather.

Ringing consists of catching birds and fitting them with a uniquely coded metal ring, recording some information about the bird by taking some measurements and assessing body condition, and then swiftly releasing them again. All of this data is recorded and uploaded to a national database, with the data gathered teaching us about birds’ migratory paths, as well as survival estimates, longevity and site fidelity.

The 2025 season has bought a plethora of scarcities, with several Bluethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler and Wryneck to name but a few. It has also been as good year for rarities, with a stunning male Pallas’s Reed Bunting in May that caused a stir amongst the birding fraternity, being only the fifth for Britain (though the third for Fair Isle!) and a brilliant Scops Owl caught in the Gully trap – a long way from its Mediterranean range for this little migratory owl.

Other highlights of the season have included Brown Shrike, Red-throated Pipit, Great Reed Warbler, multiple Greenish Warblers, Eastern and Western Subalpine Warblers among many others.

During the summer months, Fair Isle’s coastline hosts thousands of seabirds which breed here each year. The isle’s dramatic cliffs are covered with birds, with Fulmar everywhere on the grassy ledges, Guillemot, Razorbill and Kittiwake on the sheer rock faces, and Gannet occupying offshore stacks along the north and west cliffs.

Shag and Black Guillemot breed in the inaccessible coves around the isle, and colonies of Puffin can be found along the grassy tops of the cliffs. The heather moorland across the north is dotted with Great Skua and Arctic Skua territories, and colonies of Arctic Tern screech over the rocks at Buness and South Light.

Monitoring has been carried out on the seabirds every year since 1948, with more detailed monitoring work starting in 1986, to keep track of population sizes, breeding success and survival rates. This monitoring involves population counts, breeding productivity plots, feed-watches and food sampling, as well as venturing out on the boat to reach some of the inaccessible areas for tagging work.

Many of the seabird species that breed here are experiencing long-term declines, making ongoing monitoring ever more important to informconservation efforts.

There’s never a bad time to visit Fair Isle and the Observatory, with something for everyone and bird life around at all times of the season. Spring migration peaks in May and early June, while autumn migration is at its height in September and October.

The summer months in between are filled with seabirds, as well as the occasional unexpected rarity. May, June and July provide the best opportunities to see Puffins on the clifftops, together with the other seabirds crowding the cliff ledges and open moorland. As well as the birds, there is much to explore around the island, with a rich isle history, archaeological sites, rare plants and scenic walks, and daily guided walks offered by the Ranger enabling visitors to take this all in while getting their bearings and learning their way around.

No matter the time of year, there’ll always be something to enjoy!