Chair’s introduction

This is the 64th annual report of the British Birds Rarities Committee. I have started every annual report of my tenure as Chair by listing the new national firsts, and every year I am amazed that there are yet more new species reaching Britain. The long-running saga of the Ross’s Goose Anser rossii in Britain is finally reaching its conclusion, with the publication here of the first British record, involving a bird that returned to winter in Lancashire and North Merseyside from 1970/71 to 1973/74. The record has been admitted to Category A of the British List by BOURC (BOU 2022) and, consequently, all subsequent records are in circulation with BBRC.