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Fair Isle: Spring on the Magical Isle
Tour Code: GBR356A 10-day tour including week's spring birding at the legendary Fair Isle Bird Observatory.
£2,495 (Inc ferry)
£2,345
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Lying isolated in the North Atlantic between Shetland and Orkney, Fair Isle is world-renowned as a magnet for migrating birds. In spring, its position on major flyways makes it the perfect landfall for birds arriving from the south, east and even further afield, while its compact size means every corner of the island can be explored in a day’s walk. With croftland, moor, cliffs and sheltered geos, the variety of habitats ensures that each morning brings fresh arrivals and the tantalising possibility of something unexpected.
A stay at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory (FIBO) places us at the very centre of the action. From here, guests enjoy comfortable accommodation as well as immersion in the island’s ornithological life, with ringing, migration monitoring and daily news from the observatory staff. Over 380 species have been recorded on Fair Isle, and in spring the mix of passage migrants and rarities is unrivalled. Falls of thrushes, warblers and flycatchers often pepper the crofts and dykes, while drift migrants from Scandinavia and beyond can include Bluethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Thrush Nightingale or Icterine Warbler. Eastern gems such as Red-throated Pipit and Collared Flycatcher have occurred, while ultra-rare species such as Thick-billed Warbler and Palllas's Reed Bunting remind us that anything can turn up.
With Great and Arctic Skuas returning to breed, seabirds filling the cliffs, and the constant excitement of migration, spring birding on Fair Isle is both exhilarating and unpredictable, a true pilgrimage for rarity hunters.
We also offer this tour in the Summer and Autumn.
- Highly sought-after eastern & southern 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
- Experience island life and culture
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Chris Wilkinson
It all started with a bamboo butterfly net, sweet jars from the corner shop and buddleia bushes in his grandma’s garden. Chris’s childhood fascination with all things natural was ignited by the Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Peacocks and various Whites that were found in profusion in those days. He can still recall the excitement of seeing and catching his first Painted Lady late one summer, having no idea that the creature’s origins were far to the south in North Africa. Chris grew up in Nottingham and spent many happy hours birding the gravel pits and woods of the Trent Valley with his father. This was a time when Willow Tits were common and the purr of the Turtle Dove was a familiar summer sound. Family holidays were spent mostly on the east coast and visits to Gibraltar Point and the reserves of north Norfolk served to inspire his love of birds and the natural world.
Chris is a lifelong birder and has been fortunate enough to have travelled the world in pursuit of his passion. He has birded extensively and independently in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Central America, South America and Australasia. While birding in the UK, he has been fortunate enough to have found a few rare species, the best being White's Thrush, Western Orphean Warbler and Fea's-type Petrel. He was also lucky enough to have been on a Cornish headland when a Red-billed Tropicbird flew by. In addition to his passion for birds, Chris is a keen and active naturalist and organises nature walks on the heaths, on the downs and in the woodlands of his home county of Surrey. He is particularly interested in butterflies and moths and spends a lot of time in search of the UK’s scarce and rare species. When not leading a group, he may be found deep in a Surrey woodland keeping a moth-trap company!
2027
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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