NEW two-volume The Birds of Fair Isle book set - SPECIAL OFFER £15 off for limited period
Fair Isle Bird Observatory is delighted to announce that its new island avifauna - The Birds of Fair Isle - by Ian Andrews, Roger Riddington, Paul Harvey, Will Miles and Rebecca Nason is now available to pre order.
Full details can be found here
Fair Isle Bird Observatory was established in 1948 and marked its 75th anniversary in 2023. Alongside its role within the network of UK bird observatories, FIBO operates a 23-room guest house offering modern, en-suite, full-board accommodation for visitors to the island. The new observatory building, opened in May 2025, also includes a lounge, bar, visitor centre and library, and supports both ornithological and hospitality staff.
Fair Isle lies between Orkney and Shetland and offers exceptional birding, with migrant highlights in spring and autumn and superb opportunities to watch seabirds through the breeding season. The island is equally renowned for its dramatic coastline of cliffs, stacks and arches, its archaeological heritage and the opportunity it offers to explore one of Scotland's most remote inhabited islands.
Advance reservation is essential to avoid disappointment and visitors are encouraged to take particular note of the booking process and transport logistics.
A subscription to the Observatory’s ‘Friends of Fair Isle’ mailing list will keep you up to date with FIBO’s work, offer early booking opportunities, and give you immediate access to our annual bird report when it is released.
2026 bookings
We are pleased to announce that we are open for bookings for the period 20th May to 31st October 2026. We now only have very limited availability throughout May, June and July but there is still good availability from early August until we close at the end of October. Please contact our Hospitality Manager, Steve Holgate, if you are interested in visiting us. Our website includes information on how to book.
The cost of accommodation is being held at the same prices as 2025 including the Migration Special Offer in October (see below).
Migration specials
Fair Isle Bird Obs is delighted to announce that you can now make a late autumn visit to our newly opened observatory at a substantial discount on our standard rates. Get yourself a special deal with prices from £99 per person per night‡ (with full-board, en suite accommodation) during 1st-31st October 2026.
25% discount when staying for 7-13 nights
33% discount for 14+ nights
All our prices can be found here.
Remember that October has become the new ‘September’ in terms of rarities. Highlights across previous Octobers have included multiple White’s Thrush (11), Siberian Rubythroat (7) and Blyth’s Pipit (4), plus Brown Shrike (3), Buff-bellied Pipit (2), Siberian Accentor (2), Rufous-tailed Robin, Siberian Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Blackburnian Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Black-faced Bunting, Chestnut-eared Bunting and Yellow-browed Bunting.
What will you discover?
‡ £99.83 each when sharing in a twin room for two weeks during 1st-31st October 2026.
Discount for Shetland and Orkney residents
Shetland and Orkney residents can get a 20% discount on bookings at the observatory in July and August 2026, as well as friends and family of Fair Isle residents.
Latest sightings
1st January to 19th February 2026
After a well-earned rest and some time off, the first members of the FIBO team are back, and the building is up and running again for the 2026 season. Birding coverage will remain incomplete until the return of the seasonal Ornithology staff in a month or so, but keen eyes around the island have kept sightings coming in through a decidedly miserable first month of the year. With near-constant southeasterly gales and rain, it’s been a distinctly unpleasant start, but late January and early February has seen the yearlist get a good early boost, with some isle scarcities included in the mix. A respectable 31 species were logged on the first day of the year, with Black Redstart being the pick of the bunch, which climbed to 50 species by the end of the week. A duo of Puffin and Scaup were good early records on 9th January, with two of the latter in South Harbour. Later in the month, some wildfowl movement brought White-fronted and Tundra Bean Goose to the isle, as well as Goldeneye, Long-tailed Duck and Common Scoter by the end of the month. A run of Pochard sightings in early February was a surprise with at least three individuals involved – the first isle records since 2021. Further additions to the yearlist have been typical late winter fare, with a Coot at Da Water on 10th February a more unexpected highlight. The beginnings of some passerine movement have been evident in the last week or so, with the first Stonechat and Mistle Thrush on 10th giving the first hints that spring is on its way. The yearlist is currently sitting at a healthy 72 species - a level not reached until 23rd March last year - a strong start to 2026, despite the relentless conditions!
Goose flocks around the isle have been bolstered by up to 20 Russian Whitefronts (Alex Penn)
A group of five Tundra Bean Goose are still to be found grazing the fields (Alex Penn)
HIGHLIGHTS
Tundra Bean Goose: five at Da Water on 22nd January increased to a maximum of 10 birds on 10th February, with five individuals still present
Russian White-fronted Goose: a single at Da Water on 21st January preceded a run of sporadic records, with a later pulse of birds reaching 20 on 10th February, and at least 18 still to 18th
Pochard: a drake at Da Water on 5th February was joined by a second on 7th, with a single last seen on 9th. A female was then at the same site on 16th, and the following day a drake was in the field below Midway
Coot: one at Da Water on 10th-11th February was seen again on 16th
Glaucous Gull: two on 3rd January were the first of the year, with single adults on 22nd January, 6th and 8th February
Pochard is an occasional visitor to the isle, with just eight records since 1999 (Alex Penn)
Year list: 72
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