I was on holiday in Tenerife with Emma and her family till the 12th. Based in the SW I did manage a few full days birding out there, that included an offshore pelagic for Whales and Dolphins (Bottlenosed Dolphins and Short-finned Pilot Whale were both seen in abundance), a day trip to La Gomera added Bulwer's Petrel and Little Shearwater amongst the hundreds of Cory's Shears from the boat. Laurel Pigeon and Barbary Falcon were seen on the island but Bolles Pigeon eluded me everywhere! A trip up Mount Teide got me Canary, Sardinian Warbler, Barbary Partridge, Rock Sparrow, Blue Chaffinch, African Blue Tit and Canary sub-species of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Tenerife Goldcrest. Other decent birds on the holiday were Bertholot's Pipit, Canary Island Chiff-chaff, Southern Grey Shrike, Pallid Swift and obviously Spanish Sparrows. All in all an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.
Highlights in Hampshire the rest of the month were migrant Honey Buzzard over Ringwood, Red-crested Pochard at Ibsley Water (both 13th), Wood Sandpiper at Titchfield Haven (14th), Sabine's Gull over Sopley Pig Fields (18th), Great-white Egret on Ibsley Water (22nd), an obliging Wryneck at Warsash (29th) and Temminck's Stint at Farlington Marshes (31st). An adult Cattle Egret was also seen at Stanpit Marshes, Dorset on the 22nd whilst trying to relocate a Purple Heron on the Avon.
4 Days were spent seawatching in Cornwall towards the end of month over the bank holiday with Olly Metcalfe, Tim Jones and Joe Stockwell. The highlight for myself was a Cory's Shearwater off Porthgwarra on the first morning as this was actually a lifer!! Other birds seen and generally in quite good numbers were: Great (several), Sooty, Balearic and Manx Shearwaters, Bonxie, Pomarine (several) and Arctic Skuas, Storm Petrel (severel), Sabine's Gull (3), single Roseate Tern etc from Porthgwarra or Pendeen. Basking Shark, Harbour Porpoise, Bottlenose Dolphin and Atlantic Common Dolphin were also seen. A Black Kite showed well over The Lizard Village (27th) and a family group of Cirl Buntings were watched in Devon on the return journey (29th).
