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Light at the end of the tunnel for Fair Isle bird observatory

The new Fair Isle Bird Observatory building. Photo: FIBO

BOOKINGS for the new Fair Isle bird observatory will open in late winter or early spring next year, it has been announced.

The building had been due to open this year, before delays to construction pushed the project back.

But Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust chairman Douglas Barr said they now expected to open the doors in late spring 2025.

“It has been an extremely challenging project to rebuild the observatory,” he said.

“We are delighted that we are now nearing the end of this and look forward to welcoming you all to the new observatory next year.”

Barr said the trust also intended to recruit a director of ornithology and director of hospitality, with this process starting in the coming weeks.

The former Fair Isle bird observatory was destroyed by fire in 2019, with a significant fundraising effort taking place in the following years to replace the much-loved attraction.

Work on the new observatory started in summer 2022.

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