Big move, small island: The Parnaby family.
An Aberdeenshire couple are heading for one of the best - if most remote - birdwatching jobs in the world.
David and Susannah Parnaby, from Ellon, will run the new Fair Isle observatory from next spring.
The couple, and their 16-month-old daughter Grace, will be heading to the island, which is half-way between Shetland and Orkney and has a population of just 70.
Almost 50 people from across Europe applied for the post, and the couple were chosen from a shortlist of four who spent a weekend on the island.
"Moving to Fair Isle will be a life changing experience and a fantastic opportunity to live and work somewhere so well known. I can’t think of anywhere better in Britain to be based," said Mr Parnaby, 33, who has worked for the RSPB for a number of years.
Having visited the island twice before, his wife would not want to bring up a family on such an isolated island. "But when we knew what the job involved my wife was as excited about it as I was," he said.
Chairman elect of Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust, Roger Riddington, said the position would be tough but very rewarding.
"Fair Isle is purely and simply the best place in Europe to look for rare birds, partly because of its geographical position and partly because there is no cover on the island and the large number of bird watchers scouring such a small place," he said. "It's the best bird watching job in the world."
Mr Riddington was the warden on Fair Isle for three years during the 1990s and now edits the leading ornithological magazine British Birds from his home on the Shetland mainland.
He said: "Life on the island is great. They are fabulous people and in the winter there's a lot going on. I can honestly say that being part of the community is a real privilege and once you have lived there for a few years you never get it out of your system."
Fair Isle's £4m observatory building opened to visitors in June. It can accommodate 30 residents, but work on the warden's accommodation is only now being finished.
Building work stopped during the summer when the main contractor from Orkney went bankrupt, with many islanders owed large sums of money. The trust's directors are working with local MSP Tavish Scott and the local council to find ways of helping the islanders.
Running the observatory will involve managing five domestic staff, two ornithologists and a ranger, as well as one of the world’s most important sea bird monitoring exercises.
During their recent visit, the Parnabys were shown how much the seabird colonies on Fair Isle had declined in recent years. "There's no doubt Fair Isle is a hugely important place for its breeding seabirds and we will be hoping some of the research work might be helpful in contributing to their future," said Mr Parnaby.
