Inland birdwatching in Madeira, during May 2012, produced the following vagrant bird observations:

30th May
Cabo Girão
Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba

27th May
Lugar de Baixo
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus - observed between the 10th and the 27th May

26th May
Faial
6 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus - this species has been recorded in Madeira since December 2011

3 first records during March for Madeira:
1st confirmed record of Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius on the 10th by Petr Podzemny from Czech Republic.
On the 14th 1st record of Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens on Ponta do Pargo by Hugo Romano



On the 17th Bluethroat Luscinia svecica - 1st record for Madeira! by Reg Tookey

This month, more exactly on the 11th February 2012 it made 5 years since the Green-wingged teal was first recorded in Ribeira da Janela and this american bird is still in the same place, together with Muscovy ducks and a few Mallards... Other interesting observations of this month are as followed:

January has almost been a summer month in Madeira this year and we believe that will be one of the reasons for some of the vagrant birds to stay around for a while. As it has not been raining the rivers are still with not much water and so the bottom and the vegetation in the river beds are still providing a good food source for our visitant waders. During January these were the most interesting bird records in Madeira:

Last week of January at Paul da Serra - observed by Elin Taranger (NOR)
Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides

On the last month of 2011 Madeira received several vagrant birds from which a big group of Glossy Ibis, a rare vagrant to this archipelago and the numbers seen are not common at all... Below are the most interesting bird records in Madeira:

27th December 2011 at Caniçal
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - presumably the same seen on the 10th November 2011 which was the 1st confirmed record for Madeira

22nd December 2011 at Funchal marina
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea - observed at 7:30 am by Bruce Hansen from Norway.