Hugo & Catarina, owners and guides of Madeira Wind Birds went on a self-guided birdwatching trip to mainland Portugal in the third week of January 2009 and here are the highlights of this winter trip:

16th January 2009 at Lagoa dos Salgados - Algarve
1 Great Snipe
5 Bald Ibis
House Martins
Crag Martins
Barn Swallows
3 Caspian Terns
Purple Swamphen

3rd January 2009 - another nice full-day birdwatching spent in Madeira Island with Madeira Wind Birds guides! A good starting for 2009 as we observed a total of 28 species from which some migrants or specials as:

Henrik Böhmer & Sigrid Ilsoe, from Denmark have kindly sent us their trip report of a week in Madeira in December 2008. We have selected the information and published only the unusual or vagrant birds sightings:

We thank the collaboration of John Carter from UK who kindly sent us these interesting observations:

Mediterranean gull - Maximum count of 7 first-winter birds near the harbour at Funchal on 6th Dec. Other days between 3-5 were present at the same place (the small jetty opposite Praca da Autonomia).