Happy New Year! Rain and wind can divert some birds out of their migratory route into these little pieces of land named Madeira islands. Let's see what 2023 has reserved for us in terms of vagrant bird species:

29th of January 2023 at Funchal harbour - reported by Roger (UK)
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
3 Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - all 2nd cycle birds

27th of January 2023 at downtown Funchal
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

At Baía d'Abra
4 Little Egret Egretta garzetta

26th of January 2023 off Lido, Funchal - seawatched by Roger (UK)
Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
5 Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - four 2nd cycle and one 3rd cycle
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

25th of January 2023 at Madeira Archipelago - during the last week at least 57 Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica were found, most of them dead. According to Diário de Notícias da Madeira, 25th January 2023, 27 birds were found in Madeira (mostly on the North coast) from which only 2 were still breathing and 30 birds were collected in Porto Santo island, from which 4 were still alive. In mainland Portugal several birds have also been collected and were tested for avian flu but were negative, so the general thought is that these birds were most probably caught in a storm associated with the movement of a glacier front into western Europe and now have difficulty finding food...

At Machico
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Socorridos Valley - sighting by Roger (UK)
2 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum

23rd of January 2023 at Porto da Cruz - found by Lourenço (POR)
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica - dead bird at the beach

December is usually a good time of year for some visiting ducks as the rains fill up some water reservoirs... Let's see if this is the case this year... The rain is falling well so we now just need the wildfowl!

31st of December 2022 at São Vicente - reported by Slawomir (POL)
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

30th of December 2022 at Santo da Serra golf course
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

At Machico
10 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

29th of December 2022 at Funchal harbour
>20 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - had a lime green ring with D7VX inscription

28th of December 2022 at Fanal reported by Michel (NED)
2 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca

At Paul do Mar - photographed by Slawomir (POL)
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

27th of December 2022 at Caniçal
European Herring Gull Larus argentatus
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Deep in Autumn, November tends to be a good month for some migratory birds to stop by Madeira, normally waders and ducks... Let's see which bird species will pass by Madeira this year!

30th of November 2022 at Deserta Grande - reported by Andy & Kelly (UK)
Snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis

29th of November 2022 at Caniçal
2 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

At Machico
Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
9 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

17th of November 2022 at Câmara de Lobos - observed by Stephen (UK)
Sanderling Calidris alba
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

September is starting with some easterly winds which during migration are good to blow some birds out of their course, into Madeira...

28th of September 2022 at Machico
Spotted sandpiper Actitis macularius
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Red Knot Calidris canutus
Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
22 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Caniçal
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe

22nd of September 2022 at Funchal harbour - reported by Neil (UK)
2 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

In August starts some of the migration and depending from where the winds blow, Madeira might get some vagrant birds passing/stopping by...

31st of August 2022 at Machico
14 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
2 Sanderling Calidris alba

30th of August 2022 off Porto Moniz - observed by Michel (NED)
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
41 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis
101 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus
3 Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
7 Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
Great Skua Stercorarius skua
66 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea

Light wind does not help seabirds' migration and it gets more difficult to watch Madeiran storm petrel as well... Anyway, it was a comfortable pelagic expedition with some great views of different species, especially Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis and Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii who are constantly passing by the chum slick.

15th August 2022 - SW breeze shifting between 0 and 5 knots with westerly swell of 0.5 meters
2 Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta - sitting on the water on the way up
2 Great shearwater Puffinus gravis
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus - flew by a bit far
2 Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus graellsii
2 Common tern Sterna hirundo
18 Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus - flew by far from the boat
Pterodroma sp.