Hugo and Catarina, from Madeira Wind Birds were present at the GIAM (Iberian Group fro Seabirds) congress that took place in Santurtzi, Biscaya, Spain on the 30th and 31st of October 2011. While Hugo was presenting Zino's Petrel pelagic expeditions he showed a photo of a feeding frenzy of Cory's shearwaters. António Sandoval, a former Wind Birds' customer from Galicia, got intrigued with one of the birds on the photo...

Madeira Wind Birds changed the full-day birdwatching tour itinerary due to the devastation made in Ponta do Pargo for the construction of a golf course. This way we did not have news from this lost IBA for some time until Heikki Vasamies, from Finland sent us an e-mail, which we thank, with his records from the 15th November 2010:

Black Redstart 1 ex (1 cy (male), with prominent whitish wing panel)
Northern Wheatear 1 ex leucorhoa
Meadow Pipit 12-15 ex
Skylark 2 ex

Most of the birds on and next to the big piles of stones.

Short news for two interesting records for Madeira on October 26, 2010:

Lugar de Baixo at 9am a juvenile Gadwall Anas strepera was seen.

Later at 7pm a drake Gadwall was seen at Ribeira Brava river mouth.

As an extra note a Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus was seen in the same morning at Lugar de Baixo, in this case the 1st record for Madeira.

Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla

On the 21st September 2010 Catarina & Hugo embarked on the Portuguese navy ship " NRP Cacine" together with Frank Zino for a ringing session of Cory's shearwaters in Selvagem Grande.

On the way to Selvagens we observed:
Cory's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea
Bulwer's petrels Bulweria bulwerii
1 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus

Spotted dolphins Stenella frontalis
Common dolphins Delphinus delphis

Another first record for Madeira - Pacific Golden Plover

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva