Half way between Shetland and Orkney, where the Atlantic meets the North Sea, the island of Fair Isle is famous for its huge seabird colonies, dramatic scenery, stunning list of rare migrants and, of course, its knitwear. Enjoy a unique holiday on Britain's most isolated inhabited island with great birding, spectacular scenery, scrumptious food and no crowds - guaranteed!
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DAY 1 Saturday - Travel to Fair IsleMid-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 a
migratory flock of Pomarine or Long-tailed 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 - FridayIt's hard to define a day on Fair Isle, as our activities are so diverse! Our day will typically start with an optional pre-breakfast walk with the observatory staff to check the series of Heligoland traps for migrant arrivals. Bird ringing is an integral part of the observatory's work and we shall have the opportunity to be involved with ringing, measuring and ageing of small passerines. After judging the weather prospects for the day ahead we could find ourselves assisting observatory staff with their daily migrant census or may find ourselves out for the day with a packed lunch on the north and west cliffs, completely immersed in the vast seabird colonies for which the island is so famous. During our visit, Fair Isle is alive with over 250,000 seabirds of 17 breeding species, ten of which nest in nationally or internationally important numbers - Fulmar, Gannet, Shag, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin. We'll also be exploring the meadows and cliffs for mosaics of wildflowers, keeping an eye offshore for whales, dolphins and porpoises and there will be the option of visiting the island's wonderful museum, knitwear demonstrations and craft displays. Searching for migrant passerines on Fair Isle is an original and exciting form of birding! Apart from the tiny 'plantation', there are no trees or bushes of significant size on the island and thus cover for migrants is extremely sparse. A large proportion of birds tend to be found in the southern part of the island and with hospitality in these parts second to none, our friends who live on Fair Isle allow us the freedom to roam all corners of the island. As with birding anywhere else, we're at the mercy of the weather. We'll hope for a few days of the fabled east winds that can produce spectacular numbers of common migrants like Ring Ouzels, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts, Whitethroats, Wood Warblers and Blackcaps. We would hope to find a few goodies - Corncrake, Marsh and Icterine Warblers, Bluethroat, Wryneck, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting are all likely candidates. Rarities recorded with some degree of regularity on previous holidays include Short-toed Lark, Red-throated Pipit, Thrush Nightingale and Subalpine Warbler. We've even seen Calandra Lark, Collared Flycatcher and a dazzling male Yellow-rumped Warbler! We'll also seek out breeders like Fair Isle Wren, Wheatears, Twite and both Rock and Meadow Pipits and scour the seaweed-strewn beaches and rock pools for arctic-bound shorebirds, most of which will be in handsome summer plumage. Typical coastal species like Turnstone, Dunlin, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper and Ringed Plover will be present and we should also encounter Golden Plover, Common and Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank and Whimbrel. DAY 8 SaturdayAfter some early morning birding we leave Fair Isle and return
to Mainland Shetland. We will transfer you to Sumburgh airport or
make arrangements for you to travel to your onward destination in
Shetland. Alternatively you may like to join our Ultimate
Shetland holiday operating from Saturday 26th May - Saturday
2nd June.
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 these two holidays and receive a 5%
discount per person off the total cost!
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250,000 seabirds - well nearly! |
Killer Whales |
