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Slide-shows – provided by a member of staff on a variety of subjects relating to Fair Isle. Guided Walks – our most popular event (walk topics vary throughout season – see below for more details). Trips to crafts – local crafts play a major role in the economy of the Isle. The Ranger will be happy to arrange a visit to see a workshop/display and provide a lift if necessary. Trips to the Museum – open 3 days a week, the Museum provides a snapshot of life on Fair Isle back in time and also contains a display charting the history of FIBO. Self-Guiding Leaflets – informative leaflets to help you as you walk around the isle. Available on six subjects: (archaeology, sea mammals, flowers, seabirds, ringing and geology). Fact-sheets – interesting snippets of information available on ten subjects: (Migration and Migrants, Fulmar, Puffin, Terns, Gannet, The Auks, The Skuas, Storm Petrel, Seabirds and Starlings of Fair Isle)
In addition to the above activities (all of which are free of charge) the Observatory can arrange other events (subject to weather, availability and demand). Fair Isle’s knowledgeable Islanders will provide guided walks on other subjects (usually lasting about 2 ½ hours) for a small fee (£30 per ‘group’). Subjects available include:
SPRING
Puffin Walk
– This, the most popular of our
guided walks, is available from w Seabird guided walks – Fair Isle hosts 18 breeding species of Seabird and this walk will take you to the most easily observed colonies and introduce you to the ecology of these species. Migration guided walk - this walk introduces beginners to the skills of bird identification and data recording and helps more experienced birders with those more ‘tricky’ species (with the added chance of spotting a rarity). SUMMERAs well as Puffin and Seabird guided walks the following may be available during a summer visit: Skua Searches – at this time of year the uplands need to be scoured for skua chicks so they can be measured, weighed and ringed. This popular event enables visitors to get some ‘hands-on’ experience of Bird Observatory work.
AUTUMNMigration guided walk – for the less experienced bird-watcher, this provides an opportunity to get expert help with the identification of the hundreds of migrants that pass through Fair Isle each day. Fair Isle - General Walk – this walk, either to the north or south of the island, enables visitors to ‘get a feel for the isle’ and highlights the various points of interest. Mystery Bird Quiz – a popular evening quiz that tests your identification skills. Fair Isle is a peaceful and quiet place to visit all through the season. Any visitor can take part in as many or as few of the activities that are available during their stay. Evenings are usually quiet and all visitors are welcome to make use of the Observatory’s extensive natural history library and/or relax with a drink from the bar. The books in the library are paid for by the ‘Tick Fund’ (money donated by bird-watchers when they see a new bird for their list on Fair Isle) or are donated by visitors. On some evenings a slideshow or quiz will be scheduled. All visitors are then invited to listen to and contribute to the Bird Log, read out by the Warden at 9.30pm every night, whilst enjoying hot drinks and cakes from the tea trolley. If you have any queries about the Ranger Service or want to find out in more detail what activities may be available at a particular time of year, please contact the Observatory: Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle Shetland ZE2 9JU
Tel: 01595 760 258 Fax: 01595 760 258 e-mail: fairisle.birdobs@zetnet.co.uk Please note that while we try very hard to ensure all visitors can take part in all the activities they are interested in, we cannot be held responsible for any activity which does not take place during your visit. If you have a particular activity you are interested in, it is often a good idea to mention this when booking your stay and again during the ‘Welcome Talk’ on arrival. |
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