Features / Out of the ashes – the resurrection and return of Fair Isle Bird Observatory
AT THE edge of the cliffs, no-one says a word. Before us are literally dozens of puffins, fawning at our feet on the grass – the only noise their own mutterings and the sound of the waves below.
It’s a Friday night in Fair Isle – the last day before summer solstice – and on the Buness cliffs, nine people are wallowing in the beauty of the island as the sun draws in.
The group are a mix of guests and staff at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory – and artist Tommy Hyndman, busy painting mini-masterpieces he will sell the next day – who have just enjoyed a two-course meal at the new building before hiking up the hill to get within inches of Shetland’s most famous seabirds in the sunlight.
It’s been a long road since the former bird observatory burned to the ground in 2019 to get to this point. But on nights like these, on an island with the resilience and community of Fair Isle, all the effort feels more than worthwhile.
My trip to Fair Isle starts like many other people, with a disappointing phone call that my flight might not even leave because of the fog.
Hours later, however, I am ready to take the short trip across from Sumburgh Airport via a tiny Airtask plane that would strike fear into the heart of any aviophobes. Despite being born and raised in Shetland, it’s my first time over to Fair Isle and I am unwittingly given a VIP experience – it’s just me and the pilot aboard.
As well as the usual safety spiel before take-off, I’m asked to keep an eye on the post bag next to me and to remember to take it off with me when I get to Fair Isle.
The first indicator of the uniqueness of Fair Isle is its runway, which is more rocky than any runway I’ve ever seen. It’s amusing that the SIC have spent weeks making the Tingwall Airport smooth and pristine when this is what is waiting at the other end.
I’m here to visit the new Fair Isle Bird Observatory, and its hospitality manager Steve Holgate is waiting at the airport to pick me up.
While I’m a newcomer to the island, Steve and wife Ruth aren’t far off either. I ask him how long they’ve been here, and Steve laughs.
“Ages,” he says, before telling me this is their eighth day there.
The couple run a wholesale florist company just outside of Manchester for years, but dreamed of coming to Shetland.
When they did so for the first time last year, while visiting on a cruise ship, they came on a gloriously sunny day. They were warned by their tour guide – “it’s not always like this”.
Despite that caution they are here now and, annoyingly, it’s exactly as warm and sunny as it was that day. I reiterate that it’s not always like this.
The Holgates were urged to come to Fair Isle by a fellow worker at the observatory, Tracy, who told them to “call me now” when she heard there were jobs available. A fortnight later, they were here.
It’s almost five years since a major crowdfunding appeal was launched to rebuild the Fair Isle observatory after a devastating fire demolished the building in 2019, with many false dawns and setbacks along the way.
But when Steve whisks me around the new observatory with pride, you can see that the time, wait and money were all worth it. The rebuilt building is every bit the multi-million pound purchase it is, a gleaming white from the outside in the Fair Isle sun and a sparkling ode to birders past and present inside.
The lounge looks directly out onto the Buness cliffs and North Haven pier – currently a hive of construction activity ahead of a new ferry arriving in the years to come – and Steve tells me there’s no TV in the room because it’s not needed with the view they have.
A nice touch in the hallways of the observatory are portraits taken from the Allover exhibition at Shetland Museum last year, which focus on people in Shetland wearing Fair Isle jumpers in the early 1970s.
I arrive at the bird observatory on a near-perfect weekend to visit, with not only great weather but a Norwegian couple having their wedding reception at the building.
The couple got engaged at Fair Isle’s north lighthouse, which is where they are also getting married on Friday – officiated by local meteorologist Dave Wheeler – with the groom and best man kitted out in traditional Norwegian wedding outfits.
With a cruise ship visit to come the following morning too, Steve tells me that the bird observatory “never stands still” – but that they are “so glad to have it”.
The community spirit of Fair Isle is legendary, with residents rushing to lend a hand whenever someone is in need, and often holding down several jobs on the island.
A case in point is when postmistress Fiona Mitchell is on hand to greet me as one of the firefighters supervising the arrival of the plane and is then behind the counter as one of the owners of Stackhoull Stores shop less than two hours later.
The shop is often only open for a couple of hours at a time, which means it becomes a de-facto community hub for that short window. When me, Steve and Ruth visit, the island’s community nurse is also in for her errands, alongside Fiona and Robert Mitchell – who have run the shop for over 30 years.
Our whistlestop tour of Fair Isle takes us to the south lighthouse, which is currently being used as an AirBnB – one that must boast some of the best views in the UK.
Next to it at the water’s edge is Fair Isle’s own six-hole golf course, attemptable only by the very brave, the very skilled or those rich enough to afford to lose a bag of golf balls.
And never mind an honesty fridge – in Fair Isle there’s an honesty garage, where islanders fuel up and then write down how many litres they’ve taken.
We return to the observatory and Ruth is stunned by how laidback the wedding party guests are. Arriving after the ceremony, they are relaxing on leather couches enjoying the view of Fair Isle instead of drinking or dancing.
Before dinner I head out for a walk to explore the island more, and to get a closer look at the observatory’s Heligoland traps dotted around the isle. The large wooden funnel-type structures are used by the observatory’s wardens to trap and ring birds, and allow birds to fly in and out as freely as they want.
On the day of my arrival a great reed warbler has been spotted, along with crossbills in the observatory garden, while the nocturnal bird nightjar was sighted the day before.
Dinner in the observatory is a communal affair, with everyone from guests to staff sitting together at 6.30pm for a two-course meal. Citrus chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables are on the menu on Friday night, and the meal is absolutely delicious.
Me and Steve are joined at the table by a member of the BAM Nuttall team working on the North Haven pier project, and she tells us that a co-worker attempted to go on a diet while staying at the observatory – but ended up putting on weight because the food was so good. On this basis, it’s no surprise.
With pudding, a strawberry cheesecake, resting in my belly I speak to ranger Carla Hill about why she came to Fair Isle to work on the observatory.
The 25-year-old graduated from Exeter University and is three months into her first season at the observatory, which she describes as her “perfect job”.
“It’s been on my radar for quite a long time, as with any avid birder,” she says.
“I fell in love with this place as soon as I arrived. It has a certain charming way to it, and I just love how well the community works together.
“It’s the most amazing place I’ll ever work.”
Carla does everything from run the observatory’s social media channels to greeting and providing guided walks to cruise ship passengers, as she will do on Saturday morning.
“There’s so many different things I can do day-to-day,” she says.
“We all work really nicely here together. I think it takes a certain type of person to live and work here, but all of us love working here.”
She might only be three months into her first season, but Carla says she already has her heart set on coming back next year.
Assistant warden Jonnie Fisk is one of three wardens working at the observatory, and combines his duties with helping Steve out on the hospitality aspect of the business. Gazing out of the lounge windows with his binoculars, he offers up that Buness is covered in puffins and invites guests and staff to join him for a look.
The power of puffins in Shetland is well known, and many tourists come to Shetland just to catch a glimpse of the black-and-white beauties on the cliffs. Here in Fair Isle, you can spot near to a hundred just from the comfort of your couch.
And so we venture up the hill, a motley crew of eight guests and staff in search of puffins. When we reach the crescent, we find artist Tommy Hyndman perched with a piecemeal picnic. He’s painting not only puffins but a scenic snapshot of Sheep Rock, so-called because sheep were sent across to graze despite its steep incline.
It’s in this setting that Jonnie comes into his own, offering up his seabird expertise. Are those puffins fighting with their beaks, one asks? No, that’s a sign of affection he replies – the two puffins in front of us clashing beaks are likely a couple.
He even goes on to tell us that a friend of his wanted to conduct a study into whether puffins’ beaks lit up under UV light while they were alive, or just when they were dead, after discovering a deceased puffin’s beak lit up under the light while working at the National History museum. To do this, he had to ensure the bird’s eyes were protected – so created a specialist set of stylish puffin sunglasses.
The observatory’s team of wardens – acting warden Alex Penn and his assistants Jonnie and Luke Marriner – are on hand at almost all hours of the day to offer advice, tips or answer any avian questions that pop into your head. Trap tours are also provided every morning at 7am, taking guests out to see what might have landed in one of the island’s Heligolands.
On Saturday morning there are plenty of interested parties in finding out more about Fair Isle, with the arrival of the cruise ship Ocean Endeavour. With capacity for up to 198 passengers onboard, if full the ship would quintuple the population of Fair Isle – which stands at around 50.
Amusingly, much like in Lerwick, its passengers have a carefree approach to road safety – wandering through the middle of the road as our car tries to pass. I get another sight of Fair Isle’s community spirit when Steve starts offering lifts to every person we pass, and with two American hitch-hikers onboard we eventually head to the hall.
There an enticing smell of bannocks and homebakes immediately hit the nostrils, with vendors inside waiting to sell everything from authentic Fair Isle hats to jumpers and snoods, as well as Tommy’s artworks crafted just the previous night.
Steve tells me these days can be very lucrative for the island’s artists, with passengers more than happy to part with their cash to buy a hand-crafted Fair Isle jumper on the island it gets its name from.
The final stop on my Fair Isle sojourn is to the museum, which again is expecting a good turnout from curious passers-by. One artefact that grabs attention is a note that William Bruce requested 100 Fair Isle jumpers for an expedition of the Arctic, with a request that they be made as warm as possible. Maybe there’s no limits to the effect a Fair Isle jumper can have.
And with that it’s time for one last visit to the observatory to say my goodbyes to the team before I brave the rocky runway one last time and fly back to Tingwall.
It may have been a long time coming, but the new observatory encapsulates all that is great about Fair Isle – a hub for the community, run by people passionate about preserving the island’s wildlife and ensuring as many folk as possible can experience it for themselves.
Like ranger Carla, it’s taken me less than 24 hours to fall in love with Fair Isle. It’s no wonder so many people do.
- Shetland and Orkney residents can get a 20 per cent discount on bookings at the observatory in August, as well as friends and family of Fair Isle residents, by booking through Fair Isle Bird Observatory online.
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