DAY 1  Saturday - Travel to Fair Isle

Mid-morning rendezvous at the Sumburgh Hotel before boarding our boat to Fair Isle. En route we will encounter an array of seabirds including Storm Petrels and may also be lucky enough to come across Sooty Shearwaters or Pomarine Skuas. We also stand a good chance of seeing cetaceans with the striking White-beaked Dolphin and diminutive Harbour Porpoise being most likely. Those wishing to fly in to the island will take a fifteen minute flight from Sumburgh. On arrival we'll be met by a member of staff and transferred to the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Lodge for lunch and an introductory chat. News of the latest migrants will probably see us strolling south for a few hours to get a feel for the island and hopefully clock up a few new birds. After dinner we enjoy an illustrated lecture on Fair Isle, presented by a member of observatory staff.

DAY 2-7  Sunday - Friday

It's hard to define a typical autumn day on Fair Isle, as every one is so different. There's a daily, optional, pre-breakfast walk with your guide and the observatory staff, to check the "Heligoland" traps for migrant arrivals. Bird ringing is an important part of the observatory's work and we'll have the opportunity to be involved with ringing and recording small passerines. After judging the weather prospects for the day ahead we could be heading to the crofting areas in the south or exploring the sheltered 'geos' in the north - in autumn, birds have a habit of turning up anywhere on Fair Isle.

With just a sniff of the fabled east wind we can expect a wide range of common species including Redstart, Ring Ouzel, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Brambling, Siskin, Twite, Mealy Redpoll and Snow Bunting. The island can also be awash with thousands of Fieldfares and Redwings. Among the commoner migrants we'll search for Richard's Pipit, Icterine, Yellow-browed and Barred Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-backed and Great Grey Shrike, Lapland Bunting and Common Rosefinch.

September is the time to see Fair Isle's rarities, and it can be outstanding for vagrants. Specialities like Great Snipe, Pechora, Red-throated and Olive-backed Pipit, Yellow-breasted Bunting and Citrine Wagtail are just about annual and we have a good chance of seeing Lanceolated, Pallas's Grasshopper, Booted, Radde's, Dusky, Pallas's, Arctic or Greenish Warblers! An outstanding list of vagrants has been amassed over the years - Harlequin Duck, Baillon's Crake, Blyth's Pipit, Siberian Rubythroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, White's, Swainson's, Eye-browed and Black-throated Thrushes, Blyth's Reed, Paddyfield, Blackburnian and Tennessee Warblers, Savannah Sparrow and both Pallas's Reed and Yellow-browed Buntings. Almost anything can - and does - turn up!

A wide variety of other migrants will be on the move: Jack Snipe, Knot, Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit and Common Greenshank should be encountered and southbound geese will include Pink-footed, White-fronted, Greylag and Barnacle; Glaucous and Iceland Gulls will also be passing through in small numbers and our early morning sea watches may reward us with Great Northern Divers, Storm Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Pomarine Skuas and diminutive Little Auks heading south.

DAY 8  Saturday

After some early morning birding we leave Fair Isle and return to Mainland Shetland. We'll transfer you to Sumburgh airport or make arrangements for you to travel to your onward destination in Shetland. You may however wish to consider joining our follow-on Autumn Gold holiday.

Holiday Information 2008 Operating Dates

Please note that the above price is relevant for those wishing to travel to Fair Isle by sea. Should you wish to fly to Fair Isle from Sumburgh, the return airfare is currently £60.00. We are happy to make these arrangements for you and add the cost of the airfare to your invoice.

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAY!

Combine two holidays and receive a 5% discount per person off the total cost!