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Fair Isle: Autumn Migration on the Magical Isle
Tour Code: GBR355A 10-day tour including a full week of birding at the legendary Fair Isle Bird Observatory.
£2,495 (Inc ferry)
£2,345
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Perched in the North Atlantic between Shetland and Orkney, Fair Isle is legendary among birders as one of the finest autumn migration watchpoints in Europe. Its tiny size and remote position on major flyways make it a magnet for migrants, with every patch of iris bed, croftland, or cliff-top capable of producing something special. Autumn here is synonymous with discovery when rare eastern vagrants and even transatlantic strays can appear at any moment.
Staying at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory (FIBO) places us at the very heart of this migration drama. The Observatory not only provides comfortable accommodation but also serves as the hub of daily birding life, with wardens and staff sharing the latest news of arrived birds. With over 380 species recorded and 35 ‘firsts’ for Britain, Fair Isle’s reputation for rarities is unrivalled. September and October bring the chance of Lanceolated Warbler, Pechora Pipit, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, White's Thrush or even Siberian Rubythroat, while American passerines, from Magnolia Warbler to Song Sparrow, have also graced the island.
The island’s small scale makes birding both intimate and exhilarating. A day’s walk can take in every corner, from windswept headlands to sheltered crofts, each capable of holding a surprise. Every fall of common migrants carries the potential for a true rarity, and it is this constant sense of anticipation that makes autumn on Fair Isle so thrilling. For the rarity hunter, there is no greater pilgrimage.
We also offer this tour in the Spring and Summer.
- The privilege of a week in Britain’s premier rarity hotspot
- Highly sought-after eastern & western vagrants are possible
- The chance of finding a truly rare bird and common migrants in numbers
- Stay at the legendary Fair Isle Bird Observatory
- Chance of Orca and other cetaceans
- Aurora borealis is often seen
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Matt Eade
Matt has travelled widely, setting foot on all seven continents before the age of 30. Such trips included a voyage to Antarctica (and South Georgia), Papua New Guinea, Guyana, and a number of sub-Saharan African countries, to name but a few. Although these trips were primarily bird-focused, he couldn’t help but admire the abundance of the other wildlife present, and it would be the mammals that usually ended up being the highlights of these adventures! He has also travelled widely throughout the UK and is proud to have seen the complete set of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, and most orchids. Matt has led Naturetrek tours to a wide variety of destinations including northern Spain, Fuerteventura, Brazil and Iceland, as well as across the UK from Shetland to Somerset and his native Sussex.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
