The July Ranger Blog is now available to read at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog.... to catch up on what Ranger Carla has been up to these past few weeks!

I was very pleased to ring my first Leach’s Petrel a few nights ago! This was our second Leach’s caught of the year, with both birds coming on nights with good Storm Petrel catches of 231 and 266, a very busy couple of nights of ringing!

The June Ranger Blog is available to read now over at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog.... to catch up on what Ranger Carla has been up to this past month!

This past weekend saw the grand opening of Obs 5 by Ann Cleeves, with a carefully planned programme of events and a whole host of past staff, directors, funders, supporters and friends present throughout. Kenny’s Bar also received its official opening, with the sign lit up for the first time.

Catch up with what our Ranger Carla has been up to this month in her May blog, now up on the website! www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog....

This lovely male Rustic Bunting was a nice find by Luke yesterday morning, hopping about the Walli Burn and later joined by a singing Rosefinch. @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

This week just keeps getting better, with today’s clear highlight this Northern Parula, a quality find by @tomwright1.bsky.social this morning!

It’s been quite the week on Fair Isle, with highlights in the past 5 days including Red-throated Pipit, Western Subalpine Warbler, multiple Bluethroats and to top it all, a Thrush Nightingale! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

After a 3 year absence, the Ranger’s Blog is back! You can read what Ranger Carla has been up to over on www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog.... New blogs will be shared at the end of each month.

It's that time of year when the summer migrant arrivals are still a way off, and yet the birds that came to see out the winter have disappeared. We put a couple of nets up for any roosting Reed Bunting that might be around and captured 5 new birds, all hatched last year. 1/3

On the 7th we met up with CJH to try for Stonechats for the Natural England project. We had had previous reports of good numbers of birds back on site, but that wasn't the case today as overcast skies and a chilly breeze inhibited movements of Stonechats.

Nice to spend a while watching the Ludham Bridge Black-winged Kite on Monday as it hunted in the distance between periods spent perched. Lots more good birds on offer too, including Barn Owl, SEO, Hen Harrier, Kingfisher, Marsh Harrier and Crane.

Monitoring the Langham farm again today resulted in Total: 42 birds which included Blackbird - 1, Chiffchaff - 2, Reed Bunting - 8 and Yellowhammer - 4. One Chiffchaff being the Scandinavian abietinus race. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Monitoring the Langham Farm yesterday - 63 birds, which included 2 Blackbirds, 2 Goldfinch, 17 Reed Buntings & 7 Yellowhammer. One of the Reed Bunting having been ringed nearby at Morston in October. Starting to get an idea of Reed Bunting movements. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

This afternoons Black-faced Bunting certainly gave people the runaround, but eventually settled for long enough at Barkland to give everyone present some nice views in some pretty miserable weather! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Recently, Ranger Carla wrote a blog about the new Observatory building and what it means to the staff and the island. You can read that blog and see some of the stunning photos taken by the @promoteshetland.bsky.social team here: www.shetland.org/blog/fair-is...

Visitors flock back to Fair Isle Bird Observatory | Shetland.org

Fair Isle Bird Observatory was established in 1948, and since then there have been five iterations of the Observatory building. The latest was lost to a fire in March 2019, and after six years and a c...

shetland.org

Had some insane minke whale views this morning, with them coming very close in to where I was sat! The day then got even better when I also got to see my first white-beaked dolphins, which, though distant, put on a show breaching repeatedly!

Last nights Storm Petrel ringing session ended with a total catch of 263 Storm Petrels ringed and 18 retraps, including a Portuguese-ringed control. The highlight of the night, however, was a Leach’s Petrel, shown with a European Storm Petrel for comparison! 📸 A Penn

Left my GoPro in with the Puffins while I went and did a Shorewatch yesterday and this was the result! Such curious little birds! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Little Tystie takes on a big Butterfish!! Didn’t get to see if it won the battle as we were on our way to take a look on board the Flying Dutchman, a rather impressive tall ship that had just arrived in the harbour!

Hulk and Nott paid us a visit on Fair Isle this morning, with a swim by the obs! Our second orca sighting in the past 9 days! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Orca!!! When one of the pier workmen casually mentioned there was an orca in the harbour, none of us quite believed him at first, but sure enough there they were! They attracted quite a crowd as they made their way around Buness. My first orca and they did not disappoint!!

There was a great atmosphere last week when all the islanders, guests and staff were invited to toast the newly opened Obs. Douglas Barr, Roy Dennis and Eileen Thomson spoke of the importance of the Obs to the birding and island communities. We all raised a glass to the new Obs!

Two rather nice birds ringed at the obs yesterday afternoon! First, the Great Reed Warbler from the previous day went into the obs garden nets, closely followed by a Greenish Warbler caught in Gully. Both very cool birds to see up close, the Great Reed Warbler is huge! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

This Great Reed Warbler was found in the obs garden this afternoon, and though it has shown itself only a couple of times since, it’s given some very nice views out of the bar windows for several observers! A nice bird, and so much bigger than I thought they’d be! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Just as I thought today couldn’t get much better with Blyth’s Reed Warbler and Nightjar trapped and ringed, @alex-penn.bsky.social catches this absolute showstopper of a Scops Owl in Gully! What a bird!! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Fair Isle saw its third PALLAS'S REED BUNTING, yesterday - a spring male, no less - following two autumn birds, the last some 43 years ago! www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sight... Please note - no sightings so far today, although the bird can be slippery, and today's weather wild! 📸A Penn

I was very pleased to get to ring this gorgeous male Bluethroat the other day!! I didn’t know what I’d been handed until I pulled him out the bag, as you can probably imagine the resulting smile when I realised what I had was pretty big! What a stunner, I can’t get over how blue that throat is!

The past couple of days have bought in some good birds, and some very nice catches in the mist nets. I was very pleased to ring a lovely female Western Subalpine Warbler yesterday afternoon! Other highlights were a trio of Crossbill and my first bluethroat in the hand! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

Had a bit of fun photographing these swallows out of the @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social bar windows this afternoon as they perched on the fence and the patio between bouts of swooping around and investigating the building! They looked a little grumpy in the wind and the rain.