American Wigeons Anas americana


Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis

Wood Duck Aix sponsa


On the 1st of November 2009 3 American species of ducks were recorded in Madeira Island:

Ribeira da Janela
The 1st record of Wood Duck Aix sponsais still present and is now more sociable with other ducks on the area
The long-staying Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis


Lugar de Baixo
3 American Wigeons Anas americana - 2nd record of this species in Madeira with the 1st record being last year on the same spot and by the same time of year
1 Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis - still present from October 2008

Wood Duck Aix sponsa




Female Wood Duck

Hugo Romano, as tour leader of Madeira Wind Birds, together with birdwatchers/customers on a full-day birdwatching tour observed the first record for Madeira of a Wood Duck, a female!

Today, the 27th of October 2009, on Ribeira da Janela, a female Wood Duck Aix sponsa was observed and photographed by Hugo together with four UK birdwatchers. This is another North American bird which landed at the same spot as the long-staying (since February 2007) Green-winged Teal. An Eurasian Teal has also been there for almost a year, together with the resident Muskovy Ducks and some Mallards.

The female Wood Duck, unlike the other ducks at the pond which are used to people feeding them, was scared of people and flew a bit further whenever someone got close to it. The Green-winged teal when arrived in 2007 was also afraid of people but now it is used to be fed by humans.

Other interesting records of this birdwatching day were:
At Ponta do Pargo
2 Whinchat
1 Whimbrel


On the 28th of October 2009 on the ferry trip from Funchal to Porto Santo Martiño Nercellas from Galiza, Spain, has observed between some Cory's Shearwaters a Great Skua Stercorarius skua = Catharacta skua.


Also at Ponta do Pargo the following vagrants were recorded earlier this month:
13th October 2009
1 Meadow Pipit

10th October 2009
1 Hoopoe
1 Peregrine Falcon

Juvenile Marsh Harrier




Ring-necked Duck




Spoonbills

7th of October 2009
Porto Santo Golf Course
>6 Wheaters
13 Sanderlings
1 White Wagtail
1 Purple Heron - juvenile
5 Grey Heron
8 Little Egrets
2 Cattle Egrets
3 Spoonbills
8 Mallards - from which 3 females
11 Coots
2 Greenshanks
1 female Mandarin Duck
6 Buzzards sitting all together


6th of October 2009
North limit of the airport
1 Turtle Dove

Ribeiro Salgado
3 Little Egrets
2 Moorhens
1 Purple Heron - juvenile
1 Grey Heron


5th of October 2009
SE limit of the airport
1 Marsh Harrier - juvenile
2 Wheater
1 Barbary Falcon - probably the same one seen on the 31st of August 2009

Tanque
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Chiffchaf
Still present here were 8 Coots, 1 Ring-necked Duck, 2 Greenshank, 1 Grey Heron


4th of October 2009
On the ferry trip
Cory's shearwaters & Yellow-legged Gulls almost all the way to Porto Santo
4 Fea's Petrels

Beach
4 Sanderlings

Tanque
3 Spoonbills - 1 adult in breeding plumage
2 Grey Herons
9 Coots
1 Ring-necked Duck
2 Common Sandpiper
2 Greenshank
1 Wood Sandpiper
1 Green Sandpiper
1 White Wagtail
1 Dunlin
1 Little Stint
6 Collared Doves

Dotterels have been recorded in Madeira in the last week though by their behavior they seemed very tired:

On the 19th September 2009 1 Dotterel Charadrius morinellus was seen by Conceição Ornelas and Manuel Biscoito on Santo da Serra golf course. The bird was standing still while the golf carts were passing close by.


On the 15th September 2009 a moribund Dotterel was collected in the middle of the road from Pico do Areeiro to Poiso by Hugo & Catarina from Madeira Wind Birds and later handed to the Natural History Museum

These are records of Madeira Wind Birds tours:

On the 18th September 2009 in Ponta do Pargo
10+ Northern Wheaters
1 possible Desert Wheater
2 Whinchats
3 Whimbrels
1 Grey Heron

On the 17th September 2009 in Machico
1 Greenshank
1 Little Egret
4 Sanderlings
5 Ringed Plovers

Faial
1 Grey Heron
1 Common Sandpiper

Madeira Archipelago offers excellent conditions to birdwatchers, not only in terms of breeding birds but also vagrants. Though there are only 43 confined breeding species, 21% are endemic species and subspecies to Madeira and 33% to Macaronesia.

In this archipelago there are 4 ZPE's, which are: the Laurel forest, the Central Mountainous Massif, Desertas Islands and Selvagens Islands and 8 IBA's, which are Ponta do Pargo, Laurel Forest, Central Mountainous Massif, Ponta de São Lourenço, Desertas Islands, Selvagens Islands, Western Porto Santo and Porto Santo islets.

In Madeira there are three endemic species, the Trocaz Pigeon Columba trocaz, the Madeira Firecrest Regulus madeirensis and the Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira and 4 species further, restricted to Macaronesia, Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae, the Madeira Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro, the Canary Serinus canaria and the Plain Swift Apus unicolor.

One of the most interesting features of birding in Madeira is the high number of endemic subspecies - 6 restricted to Madeira and 13 common to Macaronesia islands. For some birdwatchers the ornithological highlights are the blueish Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs madeirensis and the darker Barn Owl Tyto alba schmitzi.

However, seabirds are the major attraction for birdwatchers because there are several colonies of world importance. In Madeira archipelago one may find 8 breeding seabirds species namely the rare Pterodromas (P. feae and P. madeira) and Macaronesia species and subspecies as Macaronesian Shearwater Puffinus baroli, Madeira Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro and White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca. This last species being confined to Selvagens Islands.

Seawatching on Madeira gives you also the chance to observe some visitors like Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus or Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus.


Join one of our tours and you will see not only Madeira Birds but also untouched landscapes!