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 of October, a Blackburnian warbler! My mate Dave Mack and I 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 the 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!
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