If the Redpolls end up being lumped, they'll surely be one of the most variable passerines we see in Britain (photo: Lee Gregory). An image of how the new Fair Isle Bird Observatory will look. In the meantime, please use our new email address to contact us. The Obs garden has been significantly extended, sightings of birds with colour-rings and darvics increased and even Redpolls got a lot more attention! Visit the Fair Isle Bird Observatory website for more information, the latest news and recent sightings. This spring has This one was another intruiging beast, large (much bigger than the Mealy on the left) and pale. Photo: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust. This ain’t no fairytale. area on 21, The first Nearby was the plucking post, although most of the fur had blown away by the time we returned with a camera (photo: Ciaran Hatsell). 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? A few White Wagtails have been passing through, as well as a few 'Greenland' Wheatears, both typical migrants in westerly winds. 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). 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. Shag on nest, we're all hoping for a breeding season as good as the last one... Shetlantarctica. The warden and administrator. 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!). Oct 08 2020. The Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative is a community-led initiative. Warden's blog: fibowarden.blogspot.co.uk. Contact us. 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 Don’t cry for me Paddy. Please note that we currently don't have a landline phone.               Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Returning to the site it was first flushed from later revealed a freshly dead, partially eviscerated rabbit. Home; Job and Volunteer Vacancies 2015; ... At last! Gift Aid IMPORTANT. Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. Tommy's personal collection of "Wild Life" adventures. 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. Killer Whale photographed by island resident Joe Butler with his phone as it swam under the cliffs at Buness. 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. (photo: Ciaran Hatsell), Three Hobby sightings were all far enough part in dates to suggest they involved different birds, all sadly proved untwitchable. Jobs; Volunteers; Jobs Search; Training; In Depth Features; Advertisers. 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. 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. where the combination was clinched. Website: www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk. Fair Isle was ‘discovered’ as a birding hotspot by Eagle Clarke early in the 20th Century. Many thanks to. 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. Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. 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 This talk will describe the changes at Fair Isle Bird Observatory since 1950. (photo: Lee Gregory). Address: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk. colour ringed Purple Sandpiper to be sighted on Fair Isle, this bird was ringed population 60 people, 1200 sheep, 20,000 puffins and a few rare birds. Getting to Fair Isle. After 12 years and three dips, I can finally add Rough-legged Buzzard to my Fair Isle list!!! 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 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. The island was bought by George Waterston shortly after the Second World War and has hosted a bird observatory since August 1948. I was met by Peter Davis and Gordon Barnes and shown my accommodation. It’s the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Subscribe. Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU Email: warden@fairislebirdobs.co.uk. There have been no autumn records since 2009. Address: Fair Isle Bird Observatory They have lived on Fair Isle … I wonder if the swan hangs on until the autumn and gives a few of our regulars a Fair Isle tick? The first non-BBRC Blyth's Reed Warbler for Fair Isle. Wagtail first sighted at the Obs on the morning of 22, Sighted Two of the Gadwall being photobombed by the still present Mute Swan. 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. - Population 45 Resident Islanders, 1200 Sheep, 20,000 Puffins and a few rare birds. (photo: Lee Gregory). 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). It is run by an independent charity. Telephone: Ex naval huts from the Second World War, they were cold, damp and draughty. 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). T he t ime elapsed was 6 years 2 days. 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. An absolute whopper. Fair Isle Bird Observatory rebuild. 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.. ijandrews@live.com. It was already ringed but, annoyingly, it resisted all attempts to catch it. We were even able to add the Goshawk to the kitchen window list as it performed a couple of circuits over the Obs. The 4th Pallid Harrier for Fair Isle, with previous records in May 1931, 12th-15th August 2011 and 11th-14th September 2011. If you are a UK tax payer, please complete a Gift Aid declaration to increase your donation by 25% courtesy of the Government. Fair Isle Bird Observatory: the Warden's diary Pages. Plans for a new bird observatory and guest house on Fair Isle – to replace the former fire-ravaged building – have been lodged. 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!) Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Readers. 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. 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 … This was little more than a tiny room in one of a series of sheds. Fair Isle sits at the southernmost point of Shetland and its name derives from the Old Norse name Friðarey, meaning ‘island of peace’. Advertise; Volunteers; Information; Rate Card Nice. Project Manager & Sub-Committee • 10th Sep 2019, Staff vacancies & volunteer opportunities, Financial assistance for young ornithologists (JHMF). 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. A devastating blaze which razed the popular Fair Isle Bird Observatory would have destroyed the building even if more firefighters from the mainland had … 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. First published: 1949 . 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. FIMETI. This is going to be a long and photo heavy post! (photo: Lee Gregory), No doubting this beast, it's a 'Greenland Redpoll' - dark, stripy and dwarfing the Twite. A few other common migrants have been on the move, including a couple of Collared Doves. Where is Fair Isle; Getting to Fair Isle; Airtask timetable; Loganair timetable; Good Shepherd timetable; Who we are. seen a remarkable run of colour-ring sightings on Fair Isle, with birds arriving Telephone: Please note that we currently don't have a landline phone. 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. Below is a bit of a random collection of images from the spring since my last update. 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. 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. The distinctive underpart coloration was surprisingly variable in the field, but the rattling call and DNA analysis confirmed the identification beyond any doubt. 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)? Below is a summary of these sightings: A Pied (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. (photo: Lee Gregory), Having been newly 'promoted' to BBRC status, Tawny Pipit chose to make its first arrival on Fair Isle for 10 years. (photo: Chris Dodd), The first Nightingale since 2012 was trapped at the end of June. 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