May started with the Madeira flower festival but in what concerns to sustainability, we'll just tell you that on the flower parade there were a few dozen of ballons released... :(
Anyway, May this month bring us some interesting bird species to watch despite the destruction of habitats all around the islands of the archipelago!

6th of May 2025 at Caniçal
3 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum
5 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

5th of May 2025 at Porto Santo beach - photographed by Mark (UK)
2 Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis

2nd of May 2025 at Caniçal
Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flava
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

April is usually a good month for migratory birds to be blown off their course and into the islands of Madeira archipelgo... Let's see what the wind will blow our way:

30th of April 2025 at Caniçal
Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flava
2 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

22nd of April 2025 off Caniçal
10 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
>15 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

14th of April 2025 at Ponta São Lourenço
Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator
3 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

March, the Spring month! Although some of the resident bird species in Madeira are already feeding their chicks by the begging of March, this should be the best month to observe the breeding birds singing and displaying! Now let's see which vagrant species will pass by...

31st of March 2025 at Madeira airport - reported by Erik (DEN)
6 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Common House Martin Delichon urbicum

30th of March 2025 at Lugar de Baixo - sightings by Michel (NED)
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Machico
16 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Sanderling Calidris alba

26th of March 2025 off Porto Moniz - observed by Michel (NED)
2 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus - both flying Northwards

23rd of March 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

22nd of March 2025 at Paul da Serra
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus

At São Vicente - reported by Michel (NED)
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
2 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

At Funchal harbour - photographed by Michel (NED)
Iceland gull Larus glaucoides
Ring-billed gull Larus delawarensis

It's been 21 years since Wind Birds started its operation! It has not been an easy ride, specially in what concerns to Nature as there is not much awareness or conservation in Madeira. We have witnessed and suffer with loss of habitat from bad planning and governemnt decisions such as overbuilding, forest fires, the killing of Trocaz Pigeons... But we are still here fighting for the conservation of the fauna & flora of Madeira archipelago...
Let's see which bird species decided to visit Madeira to celebrate our 21st anniversary with us:

25th of February 2025 at Around Porto Santo's Golf Course - observed by Manuel (POR)
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
2 American Wigeon Anas americana
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Wood sandpiper Tringa glareola
3 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
3 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
2 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
4 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
16 Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Ring-billed gull Larus delawarensis
Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

23rd of February 2025 at Funchal harbour - reported by Kevin (UK)
2 Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
>10 Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus intermedius
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

20th of February 2025 at Camacha
2 Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

May this year be greener, cooler and much more peaceful than the previous ones! And despite all these climate changes let's hope for some interesting bird species to visit Madeira and that the
breeding ones keep coming in the same numbers as they used to.

31st of January 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

At São Gonçalo
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

At Caniçal
7 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
2 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

At Santa Cruz
>15 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

27th of January 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

At Santa Cruz
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

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!