July was a quiet month in terms of vagrant birds but here are the highlights:

30th July 2013 at Santo da Serra Golf Course
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

21st July 2013 at Caniçal during a bird, dolphin & whale watching trip
1 Dunlin Calidris alpina
1 Turnstone Arenaria interpres

16th July 2013 at Deserta Grande - reported by Micha Arved Neumann from Birdingtours (GER)
1 Dunlin Calidris alpina

Indeed, this pelagic was not so good for seabirds but was amazing for marine mammals! We observed more species of cetaceans than birds and we even watched the rare Mediterranean Monk Seal... That's how wild life watching is!

18th July
Cory's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea
Bulwer's Petrels Bulweria bulwerii
3 Fea's/Desertas petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta
3 Common tern Sterna hirundo

Beaked whales Mesoplodon sp. breaching far away
Short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis
2 probable Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni

Another successful pelagic with observation of all species aimed! The first day was not a Pterodroma day as the chumming position chosen was for Storm-petrels but the other 2 days we saw many Zino's and Fea's petrels.

Bulwer's and Zino's Petrel

27th June 2013​
Cory's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea and Bulwer's petrels Bulweria bulwerii are a constant in these pelagic trips, both on the way as on the chum.

On the way to the chumming position
1 Fea's/Deserta petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta
Bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

At chum
7 Fea's/Deserta petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta
2 Zino's Petrels Pterodroma madeira
2 Pterodroma sp. - too far to ID
1 Wilson storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus
4 Manx shearwaters Puffinus puffinus
4 Yellow-legged gulls Larus michahellis
2 Lesser Black-backed gulls Larus fuscus

On the way back to the marina
3 Pterodroma sp. - too quick and dark to ID them

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Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira

3rd June 2013 off Calheta
1 Red-billed Tropic Bird Phaethon aethereus

2nd June 2013 at Lugar de Baixo
1 Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
1 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

The 2013 Zino's Petrels Pelagic Expeditions have started and the most desired bird - Zino's Petrel - was well observed, at a close distance, on the 1st day!

28th May 2013 - despite the rain, cold and choppy sea, the following seabird species were observed:
Cory's shearwarters Calonectris diomedea
2 Pterodromas sp. on the way to the chum
Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
3 Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira on the chum
1 Great Skua Stercorarius skua
A few Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus

1 Blue shark Prionace glauca
Atlantic Spotted Dolphins Stenella frontalis