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 a low season for tourism in Madeira, so it is the ideal time to take our own holidays! This is why there are no earlier bird records this month. But let's see which sightings has Santa arranged for us this festive season...

30th December 2016 at Ponta do Pargo -observed by Manuel Ribeiro (POR)
9 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

28th December 2016 at Ponta do Pargo
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

São Vicente
2 White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

27th December 2016 at Machico
American Wigeon Anas americana
2 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
9 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

...And customers hurray!
Another successful pelagic with not such a great number of seabirds but with great views of the aimed species! Of, course, Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis and Bulwer's petrel Bulweria bulwerii were observed everyday in good numbers.

The wind was between 6 and 15 knots, during the 3 days, which allowed us to observe the different behaviour of the birds according to the sea and wind conditions. 1 Zino's Petrels was clearly observed and a few migrating seabirds were seen. Of course Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis and Bulwer's petrel Bulweria bulwerii were the constant species everyday. So, in total we saw 11 species of seabirds (Madeiran storm-petrel does not count), 4 species of cetaceans and 1 shark:

Jérôme and Andrea from France have kindly sent their bird observations while on a family holiday in Madeira, from November 24th to December 1st.

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