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
21st November – 4th December 2025
A relatively quiet period in the isle with autumn migration now all but over, and numbers of most passerines now dwindling. The most unexpected sighting came on 23rd November, when the second Black-faced Bunting reappeared at Barkland, having last been seen across the road at Chalet all the way back on 9th. Though the Barkland garden is not checked daily at this point in the year, the Chalet had been birded regularly, with the Water Rail flock providing some entertainment as they fed openly on the short grass. The bunting put in another appearance on 28th, though has not been seen since. Highlights otherwise have been of more typical winter fayre, with a scattering of white-winged gulls and some reasonable Little Auk passage rewarding chilly seawatching effort in early December.
The reappearance of the second Black-faced Bunting at Barkland mirrored the movements of the first, joining the same flock of sparrows under the feeder (Alex Penn)
One or two Long-eared Owl continue to pass through, with this bird seen roosting in the Obs garden over several days (Alex Penn)
HIGHLIGHTS
BLACK-FACED BUNTING: the ringed bird first seen at the Walli Burn on 6th November reappeared at Barkland on 23rd and 28th November
Glaucous Gull: 1cy north through the Haven on 24th November, and an adult in the Parks on 28th November and 2nd December
Iceland Gull: one seen flying past Schoolton on 26th November
Little Auk: Irregular small numbers to the end of November, before growing passage in early December saw 78 logged past South Light on 4th
An hour’s concerted count at South Light on 4th December saw 56 Little Auk logged, with some birds passing very close off the rocks (Alex Penn)
Sightings of note (high counts): 3 Barnacle Goose, 181 Greylag Goose, 14 Pink-footed Goose, 5 Wigeon, 8 Mallard, 10 Teal, 5 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Woodpigeon, 8 Water Rail, 2 Moorhen, 9 Oystercatcher, 15 Lapwing, 1 Golden Plover, 205 Turnstone, 49 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Woodcock, 1 Jack Snipe, 7 Kittiwake, 2 Common Gull, 279 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill, 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 Great Northern Diver, 1 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Long-eared Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Merlin, 1 Carrion Crow, 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 30 Blackbird, 20 Fieldfare, 60 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Robin, 10 Meadow Pipit, 4 Twite, 12 Snow Bunting
Year list: 196
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