1 Hudsonian together with 2 Eurasian Whimbrels

Though weather has not been proper for birdwatching, here are the highlights for the starting of the vagrant birds season:

1st of March 2010 at Porto da Cruz
1 Booted Eagle Aquila pennata - light morph or juvenile

22nd February 2010 at São Vicente
1 Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius (phaeopus) hudsonicus - together with 2 Eurasian Whimbrels

Winds have been blowing strongly from west and southwest so we believe the sightings of vagrant birds will increase in the following days...

Green-wing Teal at Lugar de Baixo


American Wigeon at Lugar de Baixo


Madeira Chaffinch

Madeira Wind Birds thanks Allen Pocock for his e-mail with sightings and interesting comments which we agree and transcribe below:


"I thought you may be interested in some of my sightings on your fantastic island during my holiday there.


At Garajau: 2 Peregrines on 15th

At Lugar de Baixo: 4 AMERICAN Wigeon and Green-winged Teal on both 16th and 18th. Also Little Egret there on 16th

At Sao Vicente: 2 Whimbrel on 16th

Funchal beach: adult Ring-billed Gull and Sandwich Tern on 17th

At Sao Lourenco: 7 Whimbrel on 18th

From Porto da Cruz: 30+ Cory's and 12 Manx Shearwaters on 19th

At Machico: 2 Common Sandpipers, Little Egret and 2 probable Pallid Swifts on 20th (with Plain Swifts)

At Ribeira da Janela: on 21st Green-winged Teal and Eurasian Teal




May I also express my great sympathy to all the inhabitants of Madeira who suffered due to the heavy rainfall and consequent disaster. Particular sympathy is extended to those who lost relatives or friends.


Adeus,
Allen Pocock
(Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society,UK)




PS - I was particularly disappointed with what is happening at Ponta do Pargo (is a golf course worth it?) and to hear about the developments at the Zino's Petrel nesting site. In the words of a Joni Mitchell song... "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone"."

Lugar de Baixo pond in Ponta do Sol


Birdwatching spot at Ponta do Sol

Unfortunately the heavy rains and floods that Madeira held last Saturday, the 20th February 2010 not only killed people and left other homeless - which we deeply regret - but also ruined our very special birdwatching spot: Lugar de Baixo pond.

The pictures show the state of the pond 4 days after the storm. The place is filled up with mud and the wall protection that separated the pond from the sidewalk and road has been destroyed. Fortunately we could still observe some of the pond residents for the last months as:
1 Green-wing Teal
3 American Wigeons
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Little Egret
Several Muscovy Ducks
Few Moorhens
Few Coots

The lady that usually feeds the ducks is not going to the pond due to the difficult accessibility which is not easy for a person with her age. This way Catarina & Hugo from Madeira Wind Birds were there yesterday, feeding the birds.

On this tragic week these are the special birds that have been observed:

22nd February 2010

Seixal
1 Green-wing Teal
1 Common Teal
4 Common Terns

The female Wood Duck hasn't been seen for 2 weeks already... It probably took its chances to cross back the Atlantic Ocean

São Vicente
2 Common Whimbrels
1 Hudsonian Whimbrel
1 White Wagtail

19th February 2010 on a half-day sea trip on the southeast of Madeira - Caniçal and Machico
7 Grey Herons
5 Little Egrets
2 Ringed Plovers
1 Sanderling
2 Dunlins

More than 20 Short-finned pilot whales

Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea

Today, the 12th of February 2010 was the first day we spotted Cory's Shearwaters at sea for this year! So we can now say that Cory's are back to Madeira already.

On the sea trip in Caniçal, on board 'Oceanodroma' we observed:
1 Gannet
17 Grey Herons
1 Little Egret
1 Common Sandpiper
Approx. 12 Cory's Shearwaters

Common dolphins were also seen though these were not very playful today...

By the evening we observed the Great Northern Loon which seems to be liking Madeira as it is here for 1 month already.

Now that seabirds are starting to arrive to Madeira and that we have the brand new boat 'Oceanodroma' for our pelagic trips and for bird, dolphin and whale watching trips Madeira Wind Birds is ready to increase the seabird's list of Madeira!

Join us!

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!