The 'epic' seawatch had started quiet quietly, with a blue Fulmar (above), an Arctic Tern and a Black-headed Gull the only 'notable' birds from the first 45 minutes! The rather smart Slavonian Grebe, it could be watched chasing fish underwater in the clear waters of the North Haven, where it moved with impressive speed. This spring has Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. I wonder if the swan hangs on until the autumn and gives a few of our regulars a Fair Isle tick? Project Manager & Sub-Committee • 10th Sep 2019, Staff vacancies & volunteer opportunities, Financial assistance for young ornithologists (JHMF). (photo: Lee Gregory), Common migrants were generally only present in small numbers, so the traps have been quieter this year than 2014, although a few surprises still appeared including this Long-eared Owl. - Population 45 Resident Islanders, 1200 Sheep, 20,000 Puffins and a few rare birds. An image of how the new Fair Isle Bird Observatory will look. The rabbit was pretty impressively dealt with, but the picture is a bit gory for the blog, so you'll have to email and ask for a copy if you're interested! In the meantime, please use our new email address to contact us. There have been no autumn records since 2009. Fair Isle (/ ˈ f ɛər ˌ aɪ l /; Scots: Fair Isle; Old Norse: Friðarey; Scottish Gaelic: Fara) is an island in Shetland, in northern Scotland.It lies about halfway between mainland Shetland and Orkney.It is known for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.The island has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1954. Get 34 Celtic MP3s for free. There certainly seem to be similarities between the Fair Isle bird (left) and the North Ronaldsay bird (right, photo by Stephen Rutt). The distinctive underpart coloration was surprisingly variable in the field, but the rattling call and DNA analysis confirmed the identification beyond any doubt. (photo: Chris Dodd), The first Nightingale since 2012 was trapped at the end of June. It was already ringed but, annoyingly, it resisted all attempts to catch it. Fair Isle sits at the southernmost point of Shetland and its name derives from the Old Norse name Friðarey, meaning ‘island of peace’. (photo: Lee Gregory), Having been newly 'promoted' to BBRC status, Tawny Pipit chose to make its first arrival on Fair Isle for 10 years. After visiting Shetland mainland every autumn since 2007 the opportunity came up to visit Fair Isle and stay at the world famous bird Observatory. Please note that we currently don't have a landline phone. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Readers. Fair Isle is famous for its knitwear, historic shipwrecks and its diverse bird life, so what better place to study the Atlantic’s smallest seabird, the European storm petrel (herein stormies for short)? T he t ime elapsed was 6 years 2 days. Lifestyle and island living insights on the most remote inhabited community in the UK. population 60 people, 1200 sheep, 20,000 puffins and a few rare birds. Shag on nest, we're all hoping for a breeding season as good as the last one... Shetlantarctica. The truth is I love lamentations on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Home; Job and Volunteer Vacancies 2015; ... At last! Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk. Acolour-ringed Turnstone was seen briefly near Mid-Geo on 17, You may well have spotted that I haven't been that good at keeping the blog up to date (and that's perhaps a bit of an understatement), but hopefully you have all been keeping an eye on Fair Isle news via our. area on 21, The first A few White Wagtails have been passing through, as well as a few 'Greenland' Wheatears, both typical migrants in westerly winds. Gift Aid IMPORTANT. This male Red-backed Shrike was at Taft, where it posed atmospherically! (photo: Lee Gregory), Two Cranes put on a great show as they flew down the island, fed on Malcolm's Head for a while, circled out to sea a couple of times then ended up near Hoini. Subscribe. Address: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk.               Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Nearby was the plucking post, although most of the fur had blown away by the time we returned with a camera (photo: Ciaran Hatsell). (photo: Ciaran Hatsell), One of the 5 Hawfinch from the spring. Address: Fair Isle Bird Observatory The first non-BBRC Blyth's Reed Warbler for Fair Isle. A very confiding adult Long-tailed Skua spent most of the day around Gilsetter and the Parks a few days later. If you are a UK tax payer, please complete a Gift Aid declaration to increase your donation by 25% courtesy of the Government. Whatever they all are (this one was dark enough to suggest Lesser, but measurements were closer to Mealy), they can be really bonny birds and they certainly provide plenty of opportunities for conversation! It is run by an independent charity. Below is a bit of a random collection of images from the spring since my last update. on the Swedish island of Nidingen on 16, Procedures for Storm Petrel ringing on Fair Isle and the possible capture of Swinhoe’s Petrel (2015), Arriving almost exactly a year after the first Fair Isle record, this male Moltoni's Warbler was the rarest bird in national terms recorded during the spring. Telephone: Please note that we currently don't have a landline phone. Visit the Fair Isle Bird Observatory website for more information, the latest news and recent sightings. They have lived on Fair Isle … Nice. A few other common migrants have been on the move, including a couple of Collared Doves. Totals included: 3 Short-toed Larks, 6 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Bluethroats, 3 Common Rosefinch, 5 Icterine Warblers, 2 Wrynecks, 7 Marsh Warblers, 5 Hawfinch and an Osprey. colour ringed Purple Sandpiper to be sighted on Fair Isle, this bird was ringed Returning to the site it was first flushed from later revealed a freshly dead, partially eviscerated rabbit. This is a lovely retro 'record shot', although the initial views were much better as the bird landed on a net pole in the garden as the team were ringing a Crossbill. Latest issue: 2018. A crowdfunding appeal has launched to raise funds to rebuild the world-famous bird observatory in Fair Isle. Many thanks to. Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk, If you have any photographs of any of the people on this list, particularly if they were taken during the time they worked on Fair Isle, please email A bird seen in June 2014 and initially believed to be this species was later reidentified as a Montagu's Harrier (which would only be the third Fair Isle record of that species if it is accepted as such). Fair Isle, Shetland Islands, Scotland. Fair Isle Bird Observatory website. Don’t cry for me Paddy. The Obs garden has been significantly extended, sightings of birds with colour-rings and darvics increased and even Redpolls got a lot more attention! FIMETI. Photo: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust. Old Observatory. Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, Fair Isle: See 47 traveller reviews, 61 candid photos, and great deals for Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, ranked #1 of 1 Speciality lodging in Fair Isle and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Telephone: Despite the valiant efforts of firefighters from across Shetland and the Fair Isle team that was led by Fiona Mitchell, David and Susannah Parnaby’s home was completely destroyed. After more than two decades of campaigning, a Marine Protected Area for the island was announced by the Scottish Government in October 2016. In recent years, an increase in colour-ringing projects has enabled us to find out details of movements of individual birds without having to catch them, improving our knowledge of which birds are passing through Fair Isle. Thankfully, no one was injured. (photo: Lee Gregory), No doubting this beast, it's a 'Greenland Redpoll' - dark, stripy and dwarfing the Twite. During its stay it reached a weight of 24.6g, more than double the smallest Lesser Redpoll caught this spring (11.1g). This one was another intruiging beast, large (much bigger than the Mealy on the left) and pale. Home; Job and Volunteer Vacancies 2015; ... Subalpine Warbler is a scarce migrant to Fair Isle with 85 records (including the five this year that await formal acceptance by the relevant committees). Francis Leclerc & Marise Demers, Fir Arda, Gillian Boucher & Bob McNeill, The Selkie Girls, Iron Roux, Battlelegs, Stephanie Claussen, Jesse Ferugson, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Sean Leahy & Jeremy Spencer, W Ed Harris, Pauline Scanlon, Seasons First published: 1949 . Interestingly, North Ronaldsy BO recorded their 11th Goshawk a couple of weeks ago, which lingered for a few days then appeared to drift off south. Ex naval huts from the Second World War, they were cold, damp and draughty. The Fair Isle Bird Observatory team is headed by David Parnaby (Warden) and his wife Susannah (Administrator). (photo: Lee Gregory). The 4th Pallid Harrier for Fair Isle, with previous records in May 1931, 12th-15th August 2011 and 11th-14th September 2011. Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, Fair Isle: See 47 traveller reviews, 61 candid photos, and great deals for Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, ranked #1 of 1 Speciality lodging in Fair Isle and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. (photo: Lee Gregory), With more time on our hands due to spells where migrants were thin on the ground, we were able to concentrate on other things. As part of Fair Isle Bird Observatory the Guest House also provides visitors with unique opportunities to see bird ringing with the wardens, learn about the wildlife of the isle and perhaps find a rare bird or two passing through on migration. The observatory… Fair Isle was ‘discovered’ as a birding hotspot by Eagle Clarke early in the 20th Century. An absolute whopper. (photo: Lee Gregory), One of the most memorable days of the year was Fair Isle's best ever seawatch on 13th May, when 40 Long-tailed (including the group in the photo above) and 13 Pomarine Skuas passed South Light, eclipsing all previous records for both species. We'll also publish an update soon on some of the more interesting piece of ringing news from the spring and then there should be seabird news to report. A devastating blaze which razed the popular Fair Isle Bird Observatory would have destroyed the building even if more firefighters from the mainland had … seen a remarkable run of colour-ring sightings on Fair Isle, with birds arriving Calm weather was enough to encourage the family down south for a picnic, and was even nice enough for coats to be shed (although not the wooly hats!). Jobs; Volunteers; Jobs Search; Training; In Depth Features; Advertisers. If the Redpolls end up being lumped, they'll surely be one of the most variable passerines we see in Britain (photo: Lee Gregory). Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, Fair Isle: See 47 traveller reviews, 61 candid photos, and great deals for Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, ranked #1 of 1 Speciality lodging in Fair Isle … Warden's blog: fibowarden.blogspot.co.uk. (photo: Lee Gregory), Despite the westerly winds, there were very few Lapland Buntings, although this very smart male graced the Obs feeders for a couple of days . When fire engulfed the Fair Isle Bird Observatory on a quiet Sunday in March 2019, burning it to the ground, it was a heartbreaking moment for the island's residents and the many tourists and ornithologists who had visited over the years. The scene on Saturday as winter returned to the Northern Isles, although we got away with just a few wintry showers on Fair Isle. It was noticeable that the Raven tended to mostly keep a sensible distance from a predator that could almost certainly cause it some problems should it have wished. As was pointed out on Twitter, a good ID feature is when you realise the 'crow' mobbing it is, in fact, a massive Raven! Could this have been the same bird making another attempt to return north? My travelling companions this time were Fred & … ijandrews@live.com. The warden and administrator. where the combination was clinched. The Observatory was founded by George Waterston and opened in 1948. Resident island birder, and former Fair Isle Bird Observatory warden of 12 years, Deryk Shaw rounds up this year’s run of island classics over the period spanning our holiday dates on the magical isle in 2013 (in association with Birdwatch magazine). We all knew we'd had to get an Egret eventually, the main debate was whether it would be Great White or Little that would find us first; in the end it was the larger of the two that became Fair Isle's 385th species. The directors of a world-renowned bird observatory on the remote island of Fair Isle, which was destroyed by fire on Sunday, hope to quickly rebuild the research station.. Oct 08 2020. Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. The Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative is a community-led initiative. (photo: Lee Gregory). The island was bought by George Waterston shortly after the Second World War and has hosted a bird observatory since August 1948. (photo: Lee Gregory), Although the westerly winds restricted migration somewhat, most of the expected scarcities put in appearances (only Wood Warbler and Corncrake were missing from the usual annually occurring species. F urther bird s ringed on Burhou by the ABO teams in previous years processed this year outside the C hannel I slands are: Burhou 26/07/20 19 (photo: Ciaran Hatsell), Three Hobby sightings were all far enough part in dates to suggest they involved different birds, all sadly proved untwitchable. Wheatears are finally arriving in slightly more reasonable numbers (photo: Ciaran Hatsell). This interesting bird was present in mid-June and in the field looked rather large and pale, although measurements when it was trapped suggested 'Mealy Redpoll' was the  most likely identification - most Mealys at this time of year aren't as pale as this one though. Getting to Fair Isle. The bird was recorded alive and well 382 km north during a ringing session on 22 July 2020 at Bardsey B ird O bservatory (Great Britain, Gwynedd, Wales). This was little more than a tiny room in one of a series of sheds. After 12 years and three dips, I can finally add Rough-legged Buzzard to my Fair Isle list!!! Plans for a new bird observatory and guest house on Fair Isle – to replace the former fire-ravaged building – have been lodged. 6 Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report for 2011 Warden’s report and from then on in the birding kept producing highlights, with a decent total of 210 species recorded throughout the year. © FIBO 2020. This is going to be a long and photo heavy post! Tommy's personal collection of "Wild Life" adventures. This ain’t no fairytale. Wagtail first sighted at the Obs on the morning of 22, Sighted Where is Fair Isle; Getting to Fair Isle; Airtask timetable; Loganair timetable; Good Shepherd timetable; Who we are. With over 378,000 birds ringed by FIBO, there have been some remarkable movements logged, with ringed birds recovered as far away as Brazil, Canada, Russia and South Africa amongst others. Memories of Fair Isle by David Parkin. Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust (FIBOT) Fair Isle Bird Observatory Annual Report Editor: The Warden. Staff; Wardens past and present; The Trust; FIBOT accounts; Birds. This talk will describe the changes at Fair Isle Bird Observatory since 1950. The internationally recognised Fair Isle bird observatory was destroyed by a fire last weekend. (photo: Lee Gregory), Another species that has just gone back on the BBRC list is Rustic Bunting; this bird at Utra was our first since 2013. The Observatory was originally established in 1948 to study seabirds and bird migration, and is now an important contributor to the economy of the island. The species has been annual on Fair Isle since 2009, during which time there have been 15 records, equalling the number seen during the rest of FIBO's history. Only the 6th record for Fair Isle and the first since 1996, this one wasn't really on anyone's radar. Fair Isle Bird Observatory is run by an independent charity, Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust (a registered Scottish charity SCO 11160). Address: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk. Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. on the island from far and wide. Advertise; Volunteers; Information; Rate Card Fair Isle Bird Observatory rebuild. Website: www.fimeti.org.uk. (photo: Lee Gregory), The first 'pink' Rose-coloured Starling on Fair Isle since 2007. Website: www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk. Hot water was provided in each hut by a coke boiler. Home; Job and Volunteer Vacancies 2015; ... s job as well and then there was just so much to catch up on that I didn’t know where to start with the blog. several times before the ring was fully read, this bird was around the Shop A flighty Ring Ouzel at Busta Geo was the first of the year (photo: Ciaran Hatsell). (photo: Lee Gregory), The regular site of Bull's Park again attracted Dotterel, with a trip of four present for a couple of days. Below is a summary of these sightings: A Pied Susannah missed the last one as she was in Lerwick having just given birth to Freyja and was in Lerwick for this one as well, although just for a meeting this time rather than a baby. Killer Whale photographed by island resident Joe Butler with his phone as it swam under the cliffs at Buness. In the meantime, please use our new email address to contact us. A Pied Wagtail first sighted at the Obs on the morning of 22 nd April and was very flighty and elusive, eventually relocating to South Light (2 miles down the island!) Income from the Guest House is used to support the ornithological work on the island, with t... hree wardens responsible for studying migration and monitoring the seabird colonies on Fair Isle. Tommy's personal collection of random memories old and new associated with my "wild life" on Fair Isle one of the Shetland Islands part of Scotland and the most remote inhabited island in the UK. 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