I had to wait until 30th June for my first lifer of the year whilst on Unst, Shetland, news filtered through that an Eleonora's falcon had been found at Sandwich Bay in Kent. I left straight away, and after three ferries, I arrived back in Aberdeen and drove south to Kent.
The Eleonora's showed well on arrival, and I spent the evening watching this great bird.
I then had to wait till the morning of 7th August, when a Cape gull was found at Grafham Water. This was a first for Britain and showed well on arrival.
Bird of the Year turned up for me on Bryher on the Isles of Scilly on the 13th October, a Blackburnian warbler! Me and my mate Dave Mack travelled down there and got absolutely stunning views of the bird.
On the 27th of October, an Alpine accentor was found in Suffolk, so I headed down there for first light, and thankfully, the bird was still there after a previous dip for this species.
The last twitch of the year was for a Stejneger's scoter in Lothian, which took some finding, but eventually it was seen.
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Five new birds were added this year. I missed Common Nighthawk due to work commitments, and I was stuck on Unst again when the Little Bittern was found, and sadly, it was taken away.
Roll on 2023!