Birdwatching in Madeira, May 2018

May started with some cooler temperatures and light winds which is not so good to blow migrating birds off their migration route into Madeira. Breeding birds are already in Madeira and some of them already have chicks, like the Roseate Tern. By mid-May, we had quite an invasion of Dunlin as numbers were high when compared to previous years. Maybe the strong north/northeast winds on the previous days push them away from their migrating course and into Madeira. Let's see what May brings us in terms of vagrant birds:

26th of May 2018 at Caniçal
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
17 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Machico - reported by Mark Darlaston & Adele Rennells (UK)
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus - flying eastwards over the sea

24th of May 2018 at Caniçal
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops
27 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
3 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

23rd of May 2018 at Caniço de Baixo - sightings by Simon Wood and Carla Davis (UK)
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Machico - observed and photographed by Sergi Fernández Soto (SPAIN)
Black Kite Milvus migrans

22nd of May 2018 at Ribeira Brava
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
8 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At São Vicente
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina

At Ponta do Pargo
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina

21st of May 2018 at Machico
Common Redshank Tringa totanus
36 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
At least 2 Baltic Dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii
5 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Avista Navios, Funchal - observed and photographed by Andy Gerrard (UK)
Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus

20th of May 2018 at Caniçal
27 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
4 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
2 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

19th of May 2018 at Deserta Grande - reported by Simon Wood and Carla Davis (UK)
2 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
2 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

18th of May 2018 at Caniçal
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
6 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Machico
3 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
5 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina

16th of May 2018 at São Vicente
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
2 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina

At Ribeira Brava
17 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
2 Sanderling Calidris alba
11 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Garajau - sightings by Simon Wood and Carla Davis (UK)
2 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

13th of May 2018 off Câmara de Lobos
6 Black Tern Chlidonias niger
15 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
> 7 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina - flying eastwards
4 Great Skua Stercorarius skua

9th of May 2018 at Ponta do Pargo
3 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

6th of May 2018 off Machico - on a Bird, dolphin & whale watching trip
>40 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus on a migrating flock with
at least 20 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica - identified later by photo by Brian Tollitt (UK)
Great Skua Stercorarius skua
Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta - the first one observed this year as normally they arrive by end of May

5th of May 2018 at Santa Cruz
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

2nd of May 2018 at Ponta do Pargo
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
3 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

At Ribeira Brava
9 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta