October started as a summer month in Madeira with high temperatures. Migration is on the go though on the continent strong easterly winds were felt and these can push some birds into the Atlantic so let's see which species will be lucky enough to find Madeira archipelago as a landing spot.
31st of October 2018 at Camacha
7 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
At Santo da Serra
3 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
28th of October 2018 at Ribeira Brava - recorded by Miguel (POR)
8 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
2 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
18th of October 2018 at Machico
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
3 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
12 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
At Santa Cruz - observed and photographed by Claudia (POR)
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris - female - this is an exceptional vagrant bird to Madeira, with less than 5 records on the last 50 years!
September is normally a good month to start watching some vagrant birds - birds who got lost on their migration route and were lucky enough to find a piece of land (Madeira!). So let's see what the winds will blow this way during this month:
28th of September 2018 at Faial
3 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
27th of September 2018 at Machico
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
13 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
26th of September 2018 at Baía d'Abra fish farm
4 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea - 1 dead between the fish farm nets
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo - dead between the fish farm nets
A nice pelagic expedition which started with a Madeiran Storm Petrel as soon as we dropped the first block of chum - a good sign as on the last pelagic we missed this species! We had very good views of at least 14 seabird species but unfortunately missed the one that named these pelagic expeditions. Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis and Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii, again were the commonest species observed everyday.
August started with very hot temperatures in mainland Portugal but Madeira is been keeping its mild temperatures and even some rain, so lets see if which birds prefer this temperate climate of Madeira archipelago to spend a few days or weeks.
29th of August 2018 at Ribeira Brava
5 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
22nd of August 2018 at Ribeira Brava
2 Sanderling Calidris alba
Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
21st of August 2018 at Caniçal
Sanderling Calidris alba
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
A great pelagic expedition to observe Petrels but poor for Storm-petrels! The wind and sea conditions were actually quite good for Storm-petrels though it seems these birds have gone away from their usual hotspots during July and early August... This was the first ever Wind Birds' pelagic without any storm-petrel species observed :(
1st August 2018 - Northeast wind up to 14 knots and NE waves up to 1.5 meters
Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira - 1 on the way up
2 Great skua Stercorarius skua- coming, going away and returning to the chum for almost the whole afternoon
Many Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis
Many Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
Common tern Sterna hirundo
Another pelagic with light winds which is great for cetaceans but not so good for storm petrels... 5 species of Odontoceti (toothed whales) were observed and great sightings of Zino's Petrel and Desertas'/Fea's Petrel as well.
25th July 2018 - West wind up to 5 knots and westerly waves up to 0.3 meters
Some Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis
Dozens Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
2 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Pterodroma sp.
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta