Fair Isle Bird Observatory

Yesterday we trapped a Norwegian ringed Goldfinch, which was originally ringed on 6th August this year at Jomfruland Fuglestajion by a young girl, pictured with the bird. The map shows Fair Isle in blue & Jomfruland in red, a movement of over 600km!
📸 Alex Penn & Ola Nordsteien

A wild couple of days limited birding ability, but bought with it Little Auk and Waxwing. Some more pleasant weather yesterday resulted in a clear-out of birds but also presented an opportunity for catching some Jack Snipe. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

A classic day in Fair Isle today. With superb numbers of Woodcock and Blackcap especially, amongst a good spread of thrushes. A personal highlight was finding this Isabelline wheatear with @birds-and-me.bsky.social. Just a second for Fair Isle.

Isabelline Wheatear

Oriental Turtle dove (Meena)

Richard’s pipit- an interesting bird, with some odd vocalisations and seemingly smaller size than typical, and frustratingly brief flight views through most of the day- persistence paid off in the end.

Goldcrest- great numbers of these fantastic birds littered the cliff tops and stone dykes.

Another great trip to Fair Isle has come to an end. But some nice highlights, and some impressive day counts of Blackcap and Woodcock in particular. A Northern flavour to the final day- with Northern Bullfinches arriving.

On a wet and windy day like today, the floor to ceiling windows around the bar make the observatory the perfect hide for watching birds in the garden while staying warm and dry. It doesn’t get much better for garden birds than this one, a Waxwing spending the afternoon enjoying an apple feast!

Things have really picked up the past few days, with thrushes, Blackcap and Goldcrest everywhere and highlights in the form of Pallas’s Warbler, Isabelline Wheatear and Paddyfield Warbler, as well as a few Northern Bullfinch today. Read more here www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 A Penn

Boom 💥 lightening strikes twice @kevinshetland.bsky.social and I have just found Isabelline Wheatear on Fair Isle. @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social #UKBirding

Visitors flock back to Fair Isle Bird Observatory | Shetland.org Fair Isle Bird Observatory was established in 1948, and since then there have been five iterations of the Observatory building. The latest was lost to a fire in March 2019, and after six years and a c...

Recently, Ranger Carla wrote a blog about the new Observatory building and what it means to the staff and the island. You can read that blog and see some of the stunning photos taken by the @promoteshetland.bsky.social team here: www.shetland.org/blog/fair-is...

After a quiet few days, yesterday’s winds bought in a few new birds including a Bluethroat trapped at Double Dyke, a Turtle Dove, the first Long-eared Owl and Goldeneye of the autumn and the first Greenfinch of the year. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 T Wright

An elusive and mobile Richard’s Pipit and a lingering Black-throated Diver have been the recent highlights, along with a Purple Sandpiper ringed in Svalbard earlier this autumn. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 T Wright

Minke Whale in the appropriately named Finnequoy

Mealy Redpoll at the Observatory

An example of the extraordinary food we were treated to

Standing room only for Logan’s talk on Mongolia

It was a tough few days weather-wise on Fair Isle but we still had a fantastic time at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social thanks to the wonderful staff, with Minke Whale from the bedroom window and Mealy Redpoll in the obs garden #birdingscotland

Had some insane minke whale views this morning, with them coming very close in to where I was sat! The day then got even better when I also got to see my first white-beaked dolphins, which, though distant, put on a show breaching repeatedly!

A week on Fair Isle: seeking still air I first visited Fair Isle in 1986 as a seventeen-year-old, benefitting from a Richard Richardson bursary to cover the accommodation costs at the bird observatory. As an inexperienced inland birder,…

A longer blog post about a week on Fair Isle with @sheldonbirds.bsky.social: www.outofthebluesky.co/2025/10/11/a...
Many thanks to all at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social, a fantastic place with incredible food! Honourable mentions for @lukemarriner1.bsky.social and @philwoollen.bsky.social
#ukbirding

Continuing unsettled weather has kept things on the quieter side, though multiple close in Minke Whales have kept everyone entertained between bouts of rain. Avian highlights include Black-throated Diver, Grey Phalarope and Slavonian Grebe www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 T Wright

Great to have stayed at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social for a week after watching the rebuild over the last 5 years. A fabulous place & a great team. We’ve already booked again next year. Now to lose the weight United on despite walking 23k steps/ day. The food was terrific.

A male Siberian Thrush emerges from cover at Asta Loch, Shetland, Oct 2025

Red-breasted Flycatcher peeping out from cover in South Raeva Geo on Fair Isle, Sept 2025

A migrant Common Redstart finding shelter in the derelict buildings near the summit of Ward Hill on Fair Isle

Landscape looking south along the West Side of Fair Isle

Leaving Shetland after 8 super days birding Fair Isle & Shetland with @tombedford.bsky.social. A superb mix of rarities, scarcities, common migrants, seabirds & spectacular scenery based at the brilliant @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social - thanks to all. eBird trip report ⬇️
ebird.org/tripreport/4...

Storm Amy has bought with it some waterfowl movement, with flocks of geese and Whooper Swans around the isle, along with the fifth island record of Little Egret. Other highlights include Olive-backed Pipit and the 12th record of Firecrest: www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 A Penn

Two Richard’s Pipits added some interest to an otherwise fairly quiet few days with few new birds in. Yellow-browed Warbler continue to be present in small numbers with a few other scattered scarcities. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 S Arlow

Yesterday’s Glossy Ibis was only the fifth Fair Isle record! The Yellow-browed Warbler influx continues, with seven seen yesterday, and thrushes have begun to move through in bigger numbers. Read more on our latest sightings www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

Approaching Fair Isle from the North by plane - North Light on cliff top

Sumburgh Lighthouse and Sumburgh Head

First winter Barred Warbler at Fair Isle Bird Observatory

Common Rosefinch perched on wire

Arrived @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social for week's birding with @tombedford.bsky.social yesterday eve. Smooth journey with spectacular views from plane of Sumburgh Head & Fair Isle looming out of the south. Short pre-dinner birding produced Barred Warbler, Common Rosefinch & Lapland Bunting - not bad!

Recent days have bought an arrival of Yellow-browed Warbler, along with a mobile Bluethroat, the second Great Spotted Woodpecker of the autumn and the third Turtle Dove of the year. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

The past few days have bought our fourth Brown Shrike in 3 years, as well as the first Snow Bunting and Whooper Swan of the autumn. Catch up with what else has been seen on our latest sightings blog www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

The flow of migratory birds has continued with several Sparrowhawk and Redstart moving through, along with our first Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year and a Glaucous Gull seen off Buness. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

The first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn was seen on the 11th, with a Greenish Warbler and Great Snipe the other highlights of the past few days. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

Yesterday bought our best day of the autumn yet, with plenty of new birds in all across the isle in very calm conditions. A range of common migrants showed well across the gardens, cliffs, and all sorts of other unusual places! Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 L Marriner

It’s been a busier few days for birds, with today bringing the first Red-breasted Flycatcher of the autumn, a new Wryneck, two Little Stint and six passing Curlew Sandpiper. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 T Wright

Highlights from the past few days have included a Wryneck, another Barred Warbler and an Icterine Warbler all trapped and ringed as well as a Pipistrelle sp. seen hawking over the Obs garden at dusk yesterday evening. Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 T Wright

The past few days have bought some welcome arrivals, including a couple of Barred Warblers, a scattering of Pied Flycatchers, two Wood Warblers and a Wood Sandpiper. Read more on our latest sightings www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 A Penn

A shift in the winds in the past couple of days has bought the first Wood Warbler and Icterine Warbler of the autumn our way, and small numbers of Ruff are enjoying the cut silage fields.
Read more at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸A Penn

A juvenile Red-necked Phalarope has spent the past couple of days doing laps of Da Water, and a Greenish Warbler was found on the cliffs at Wirvie yesterday. Read more of our recent sightings at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight...
📸 A Penn