February started with some strong winds from the East quadrant which normally brings some different vagrant birds to Madeira. So lets see which birds landed in Madeira for the Carnival festivities or for celebrating the end of the winter.

Happy Birding New Year!
The new year started with great weather, sunny days with light wind and 19ºC of average temperature. This would attract any visitor for a winter break but birds do not share the same opinion as people, as we can see from bird species recorded this month:

30th January 2013 at Porto Moniz
1 Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Paul da Serra
At least 12 FieldfaresTurdus pilaris

10th January 2013 at Machico
1 Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

December is always a good month for vagrant birds in Madeira and the first day of birdwatching around the island was somewhat productive...

30th December 2012 on a Bird, dolphin & whale watching trip off Caniçal bay
1 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus
1 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
8 Grey Herons Ardea cinerea
1 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

November has started very wet and with strong winds increasing the amount of sightings for vagrant birds... Madeira this month is having some interesting vagrant birds...

28th November 2012 at Ponta do Pargo
Black Kite Milvus migrans

São Vicente
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

Porto Moniz
1 Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus

The last Zino's Petrel Pelagic Expedition of 2012 gave the highest number of species seen this year on a Wind Birds' pelagic trips as this was migration time and so several species of shearwater and skuas were observed.

30th of August 2012
On the way to the chum position:
1 Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus
2 Great shearwater Puffinus gravis
1 Fea's petrel
Cory's shearwater Calonectris diomedea
Bulwer's petrel Bulweria bulwerii

Seabirds migration has started! We can say that by the species we already got during this Wind Birds Zino's Petrel Madeira Pelagic Expedition!

24th of August 2012
At the back of Caniçal harbor
3 Sanderlings Calidris alba
3 Turnstones Arenaria interpres
Several Common tern Sterna hirundo
3 Roseate tern Sterna dougallii