Madeira Birdwatching News & Trip Reports

May is here and by the end of the month starts the Zino's Petrels Pelagic Expeditions! Meantime Bulwer's petrels are back to Madeira and can be observed on the Bird, dolphin & whale watching trips.

So here are the vagrant bird species observed during this month:

5th May 2013 Northeast of Madeira
1 Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus

4th May 2013 at Seixal
1 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

3rd May 2013 at Deserta Grande by the house - recorded by Paul & Pam Callaway (UK)
1 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas galactotes - According to Romano et al, 2010, this bird is exceptional to Madeira archipelago, which means it was observed less than 5 times in the past 50 years

April started very quiet in what regards to vagrant birds... The wind has been light in contrast with March but we are still waiting for some strong easterly winds to blow some migrating birds into this island. Though we are watching again the breeding birds that already returned to Madeira after their migratory season, such as Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira, Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea borealis, Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus, Common Tern Sterna hirundo and Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii!

As for vagrant bird species observed this month, these are:

30th of April 2013 at Lugar Baixo
1 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
1 Shoveler Anas clypeata

26th of April 2013 at Caniçal - reported by Asgeir Larsen (NOR)
2 Peregrin Falcons Falco peregrinus - a pair, male and female.

24th of April 2013 at Lugar Baixo
1 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus
1 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
1 Shoveler Anas clypeata
2 Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis

Ponta do Pargo
2 Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica
4 Common House Martins Delichon urbicum

We here thank to our good friend Frank Zino for sending us his trip report about the bird species observed in Porto Santo island on the 13th of April 2013.

Tanque:
1 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
3 Coots Fulica atra - one adult with two young

Dam below Pico Concelho
2 Ruddy Shellduck Tadorna ferruginea - a pair
1 Moorhen

On the first week of March Madeira was under a stormy weather with very strong winds blowing from the western quarter, so after the storm it is time to look for vagrant birds that might have been blown into the island. So Wind Birds company (re)started its tours after the storm with a very nice record: Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus on the 10th! According to Romano et al. 2010 this species is occasional to Madeira, so depending on the weather/wind conditions it visits Madeira sometimes. Other vagrants recorded were:

30th March in Lugar de Baixo
1 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
1 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

28th March in Ponta de São Lourenço
2 Great Skuas Stercorarius skua

Pico do Areeiro
1 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

27th March in Caniço - by Guido Teenck (GER)
1 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

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 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs madeirensis 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), Macaronesian/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!

Trocaz Pigeon Columba trocaz

Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro