In April Spring should be 'well installed' and so northwards migration should be on and in Madeira one can watch birds displaying, nesting or already feeding their chicks! Last month was very low for visiting bird species to Madeira, so let's see if April will be more exciting.

12th of April 2024 at Caniçal
3 Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flava
4 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

At Santo da Serra
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

At Machico
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

10th of April 2024 at Caniçal
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

9th of April 2024 at Santana - sighting by Kev (UK)
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

March should mean Spring though in Madeira it looks like we are 1 season delayed so Winter atmospheric conditions only arrived now... It has been very quiet in terms of vagrant birds in the island...

29th of March 2024 off Porto Moniz - observed by Michel (NED)
2 Great shearwater Ardenna gravis

26th of March 2024 at Santa Cruz
5 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
3 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum

We keep beating air temperature records for each month in Madeira and birds are displaying like it is Spring time already... It is getting scary all this climate changes and mostly because we do not see anything being made to change it. :/ We do our part but we are still a minority and it is definitely not enough!

28th of February 2024 at Caniçal
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

21st of February 2024 at Caniço
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

At Caniçal
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

9th of February 2024 at São Vicente - reported by Jenny (UK)
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

We certainly would like to wish a happy 2024 but for those who observe nature and actually care about it, it is not looking good... Anyway, let's keep hope alive and do our best for nature conservation! Here are the bird species that visited Madeira archipelago this month:

30th of January 2024 at Caniçal
4 (maybe 5) Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
8 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

29th of January 2024 at Lugar de Baixo - observed by Paul (UK)
2 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
3 Little Egret Egretta garzetta

28th of January 2024 at Funchal harbour - reported by Nicholas (UK)
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros - female
2 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus

At Machico - sightings by Roy (UK)
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Madeira Archipelago offers good conditions to birdwatchers, not only in terms of breeding birds but also vagrant bird species. Though there are only 47 breeding species to these islands, about half of them are endemic species or subspecies to Madeira or to Macaronesia region (Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands).

Madeira has three endemic species: Trocaz Pigeon Columba trocaz which is associated with the native forest of Madeira: the Laurel Forest; Madeira Firecrest Regulus madeirensis, normally observed on forested areas and the rare Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira, a threatened seabird that nests on the highest mountains of Madeira. Regarding the Macaronesia bird species, one may observe Fea's/Desertas Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta, Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, Atlantic Canary Serinus canaria, Berthelot's Pipit Anthus berthelotti and the Plain Swift Apus unicolor.

One interesting feature of birding in Madeira is the high number of endemic subspecies from which the ornithological highlights go to the bluish Madeiran Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs maderensis and the darker colours of Barn Owl Tyto alba schmitzi and Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 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), Barolo's Shearwater Puffinus baroli, Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro and White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca. This last species being confined to breed in Selvagens Islands but observed offshore on Wind Birds' Pelagic Expeditions.

A pelagic trip on Madeira or seawatching from the coast gives you also the chance to observe some vagrant birds like Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus or European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, between others;

Join one of Wind Birds tours and you will see not only Madeira birds but also amazing landscapes which are out of the common tourist routes!