On the 4th of April 2014 Wind Birds started running their Zino’s Night Expedition to hear and sometimes see the silhouettes of this rare endemic seabird. On this first night tour of 2014 there was just a bit of moon though the night was very clear, there was no wind and we heard more than 70 calls! This means that Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira are back from their migration and are already visiting their breeding colony!

March is here and Spring is arriving to Madeira! This is a good season to start watching the first land birds blown off course from their migration between Africa and Europe.

31st March 2014 at Santa Cruz
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

at Lugar de Baixo - sightings by Ton and Annemiek Eggenhuizen (NED)
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

at Ponta de São Lourenço - reported by Ton & Annemiek Eggenhuizen
Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides

This month Wind Birds is celebrating 10 years old and so birds and birdwatchers are all invited to come to Madeira and enjoy our nature and good weather!

26th February 2014 at Funchal harbour - reported by Martin Lewis (UK)
2 Common Tern Sterna hirundo
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
7 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Happy New Year!!! First we wish you a successful 2014 with many new species on your life list and great birdwatching experiences. January still brings some vagrant birds to Madeira and so we will keep updating the bird species that visit Madeira archipelago during this winter month.

In December there are still some vagrant birds that decide to spend Christmas or New Year's in Madeira and with the storms that have been moving in the North Atlantic there might be some interesting ones blowed into Madeira:

31st December 2013 at Santo Serra Reservoir
12 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca - 3 males
4 Tufted Ducks Aythya fuligula
White wagtail Motacilla alba alba
3 Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus
7 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

November is always a great time for Nearctic (North America) vagrant birds. Waders and Ducks are the easy ones to find, smaller passerines simply disappear in our Laurel Forest. Also a good time for migrating birds of prey. Cory's Shearwater will migrate mid November and Fea's Petrels are still around.

30th November at Machico
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
1 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus