Below is a seawatching report between the 6th and the 13th of May 2013 sent us by Mark Coller (UK). His base was Eden Mar Hotel in Lido area, near Ponta da Cruz, Funchal.

13th May from hotel balcony between 7:00 and 7:45 am
372 Cory's shearwater Calonectris diomedea
2 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus

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

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!

We here thank to 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

Upper dam below Pico Branco
2 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata - 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

February started with some strong winds from the East quadrant which normally brings some different vagrant birds to Madeira. So lets see which birds landed in Madeira for the Carnival festivities or for celebrating the end of the winter.