Chairman’s introduction

This is the 61st annual report of the British Birds Rarities Committee, and another which indicates that the addition of new species and subspecies to the British List shows no signs of slowing down. Since BBRC traditionally publishes records of national firsts only after they have also been accepted by the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC), there is sometimes a delay in the inclusion of such records in our report. Partly as a consequence of that, we are delighted to be publishing (in effect) eight ‘firsts’ this year. From 2016, the acceptance of the Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus seen in Cornwall and Devon will have been a surprise to many people and a great bonus to those who travelled to see it (Freestone 2019; McInerny 2019). Also accepted onto the national lists of France and Poland, this individual spent more than six months touring southwest England. Is this another indication of the impact of climate change on the wetland birds of southern and eastern Europe, perhaps increasing the likelihood of events such as this in future? Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris also appears here for the first time, with the bird from Scilly in 2017 adding to that famous archipelago’s long list of national firsts. Yorkshire’s White-rumped Swift Apus caffer made a rapid dash through both BBRC and BOURC, just as it did through Hornsea Mere on a memorable afternoon in late October 2018.