February started with warmer temperatures than previous years and that, despite delighting the tourists that visit the island, is quite worrying in a nature conservation perspective... Forest fires have already started and threatened not only the flora and fauna of the island but also humans and their goods. But, let's see which birds are also enjoying this Spring weather in Madeira:

21st of February 2020 at Caniçal
2 Sanderling Calidris alba
2 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
10 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

15th of February 2020 at São Vicente - sighting by Michel (NED)
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

14th of February 2020 at São Vicente
3 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
2 White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba

At Ponta do Pargo
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita - it was singing!
Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus - it was very yellow when compared to the other Chiffchaff
4 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
10 White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba

At Ribeira Brava
3 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Happy 2020 and successful birdwatching is what we wish you all, birdwatchers out there in the field! This January started with Spring temperatures and that might attract or at least hold some of the visitant birds in Madeira.

30th of January 2020 at Faial - photographed by Rolf (NOR)
3 Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus

22nd of January 2020 at São Vicente
3 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

At Ponta do Pargo
4 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

At Ribeira Brava
3 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus

December is a low season in Madeira not only for birds as all seabirds have migrated but also for tourism. Although temperatures are better than in the rest of Europe, only the last week of December is a very busy week in this island, for the Christmas and New Year's festivities! So let's see what Santa will bring us in terms of birding sightings:

30th of December 2019 at Ponta do Pargo - sighting by Michel (NED)
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

27th of December 2019 at São Vicente
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
5 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Ponta do Pargo
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
6 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

At Ribeira Brava
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

25th of December 2019 at Porto Moniz - observed by Michel (NED)
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus - flying eastwards

23rd of December 2019 at São Vicente
Mew Gull Larus canus
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
2 White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
7 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

November should be a winter month but until mid-November we have been getting summer weather, with quite high temperatures for this time of year and not so much rain as one should expect... Although it is a low month for touristy demand it sometimes attracts some interesting vagrant bird species... and it seems that Porto Santo island is beating records this year!

20th of November 2019 at Porto Santo golf course - reported by Anders (SWE)
5 Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

18th of November 2019 off Camara de Lobos - watched by Russel & Emma (UK)
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus

15th of November 2019 at São Vicente
Sanderling Calidris alba
2 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba

At Ribeira Brava
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

October is usually a good month for migration and with some of these climate changes blowing hurricanes to the Northeast Atlantic it may be a good combination to deviate some birds from their migratory route into Madeira.

26th of October 2019 at Porto Santo - recorded by Frank Zino
5 Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus - less than 5 records on the last 50 years
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

3 Sanderling Calidris alba at Porto Santo beach - reported by Neil (UK)

25th of October 2019 at São Vicente - observed by Neil (UK)
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

24th of October 2019 at Caniçal
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

At Funchal marina - reported by Neil (UK)
2 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

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!