NOW that the dust has settled, it’s nice to reflect on what a superb year 2023 was for rarities. Take a read of Sam Viles’s annual review (pages 24- 28) and have a think about what your highlight of last year was. There were so many exciting moments, and particularly so in the autumn, but it’ll be interesting to see if your own thoughts on the top rarity of the year line up with the results of the Birders’ Choice Awards (pages 22-23).
One of the many revelations of 2023 was the unprecedented gathering of rare scoter off the Fife coast in the spring. Given that all six of the world’s scoter species were seen off British and Irish coasts during the year, Nick Littlewood’s expert tips, built up over many years watching the slicks of scoter off his own Aberdeenshire patch, are timely (pages 38-42). Perhaps 2024 will be the year that you nail a rare scoter at a coastline near you.
It’s fair to say that Scotland typically features quite heavily in our rarity round-ups in the magazine, generating so many of the big stories throughout the year. It’s probably notsurprising, then, to hear that Scottish – as opposed to British – listing is becoming increasingly popular. Mark Wilkinson talks through the pros and cons of focusing solely on
birding north of the border on pages 34-37. By the way, I’m happy to hold my hands up and say that I got it wrong on the Waxwing influx! When I wrote last month’s comment,
Waxwings were still lacking in many areas of the south. But, of course, in perfect tandem with the January issue popping through readers’ letterboxes, they suddenly made a major push south. I’d hope that, by now, the great majority of Birdwatch readers have been able to catch up with a few of these beauties.

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