Itinary: 23 July Pelagic (North of Madeira)
24 July Pelagic (South of Madeira)
25 July Pelagic (North of Madeira)
26 July Caniço de Baixo and excursion to Zino’s Petrel colony
27 July Funchal
28 July Caniço de Baixo
29 July São Laurenço Peninsula and Caniçal
30 July Rabaçal (25 Springs)
31 July São Vinçente and Seixal
1 August Caniço de Baixo
2 August Pico de Ariero and Ribeiro Frio
3-6 August Caniço de Baixo and Funchal
24 July Pelagic (South of Madeira)
25 July Pelagic (North of Madeira)
26 July Caniço de Baixo and excursion to Zino’s Petrel colony
27 July Funchal
28 July Caniço de Baixo
29 July São Laurenço Peninsula and Caniçal
30 July Rabaçal (25 Springs)
31 July São Vinçente and Seixal
1 August Caniço de Baixo
2 August Pico de Ariero and Ribeiro Frio
3-6 August Caniço de Baixo and Funchal
23
July Arrival and Madeira
Windbirds Pelagic
Around 10:00 we arrived in our hotel in Caniço de Baixo and I had a few more hours to prepare for the pelagic. These hours also produced the first Plain Swifts and the only Roseate Tern during the entire trip! Unaware of the weather conditions I packed for the worst: rain coat and trousers (necessary), plastic bag for my camera bag (unnecessary), two Optech rain sleeves for my camera and lens (unnecessary) and flip-flops (good choice). I didn’t bring a hat, which can be useful.
Around 14:00 I got picked up at the hotel and around 15:00 left the Marina. The weather was good with a lot of sun, but we had almost no wind, which is not ideal for petrels as they are prone to rest on the water and are therefore hard to find. After 90 minutes we arrived at the chumming site 12 nautical miles Northeast of the island and we soon started chumming which attracted a lot of Bulwers Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters and in the end a Fea’s Petrel which showed quite well, but very briefly. It was a Fea’s of the desertas population with a very heavy bill, short tubes, thick neck and a rather heavy jizz in flight. The chum also attracted a Beaked Whale, which remained unidentified (probably Gervais’/ Curvier’s/ Blainville’s). Other animals recored were: a Loggerhead and some Flying Fish.
For anyone doing a pelagic like this (drifting around the chum in a rather small zodiac) I can recommend a getting a good sleep (I slept three or four hours, because our flight left very early in the morning) and maybe anti-seasickness pills, for I got very seasick and it does not add to your experience of the pelagic.
Around 10:00 we arrived in our hotel in Caniço de Baixo and I had a few more hours to prepare for the pelagic. These hours also produced the first Plain Swifts and the only Roseate Tern during the entire trip! Unaware of the weather conditions I packed for the worst: rain coat and trousers (necessary), plastic bag for my camera bag (unnecessary), two Optech rain sleeves for my camera and lens (unnecessary) and flip-flops (good choice). I didn’t bring a hat, which can be useful.
Around 14:00 I got picked up at the hotel and around 15:00 left the Marina. The weather was good with a lot of sun, but we had almost no wind, which is not ideal for petrels as they are prone to rest on the water and are therefore hard to find. After 90 minutes we arrived at the chumming site 12 nautical miles Northeast of the island and we soon started chumming which attracted a lot of Bulwers Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters and in the end a Fea’s Petrel which showed quite well, but very briefly. It was a Fea’s of the desertas population with a very heavy bill, short tubes, thick neck and a rather heavy jizz in flight. The chum also attracted a Beaked Whale, which remained unidentified (probably Gervais’/ Curvier’s/ Blainville’s). Other animals recored were: a Loggerhead and some Flying Fish.
For anyone doing a pelagic like this (drifting around the chum in a rather small zodiac) I can recommend a getting a good sleep (I slept three or four hours, because our flight left very early in the morning) and maybe anti-seasickness pills, for I got very seasick and it does not add to your experience of the pelagic.
 |
| Fea's Petrel (Pterodroma (fea) desertas) |
 |
| Cory´s Shearwater (Calonectris (diomedea) borealis) |
I got anti-seasickness pills from Hugo and Catherina (of Madeira Windbirds) and a decent sleep, so after we got out on the sea again at the same time as yesterday to visit the Southeastern part of the ocean, I felt really good. Unfortunately the weather was the same as yesterday, so still not perfect for petrels. Today the chum attracted the same amount of Cory’s Shearwaters and Bulwers Petrels, but after a few hours of waiting a lovely White-faced Storm-petrel turned up and was soon joined by a Madeiran Storm-petrel. The chum also attracted another Fea’s Petrel but this sighting was even briefer than the one yesterday. Using photographs we were able to indentify it as another desertas, due to its very thick bill and neck. Other animals recorded were three Loggerheads (of which we saved one from a fishing net!) and several Flying Fishes.
 |
| White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina) |
 |
| Madeiran Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma castro) |
 |
| Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) |
25
July Madeira Wind birds
Pelagic
Today we headed tot the same destination as the first day, for this is the best site for Zino’s Petrel. The site we visited yesterday was the best site for seeing Storm-petrels. The weather was the same as the previous two days, but with even less wind. The day started good with two brief pterodroma spec. sightings, a Loggerhead and a pod of at least five Bottlenose Dolphins on the way to the chumming site. However the chum attracted “only” a Madeiran Storm-petrel and an Arctic tern (besides the standard amount of Cory’s Shearwaters and Bulwers Petrels). The chumming ended prematurely when a two or three meter large Blue Shark came and finished 10 Kg of chum in three bites… This meant unfortunately that I was unable to see a Zino’s Petrel at sea during this pelagic. However, the entire experience was well worth it and the other species observed were lovely.
Thanks to Hugo and Catherina I was able to join the excursion to the Zino’s Petrel colony at Pico de Ariero, which would take place the next day.
Today we headed tot the same destination as the first day, for this is the best site for Zino’s Petrel. The site we visited yesterday was the best site for seeing Storm-petrels. The weather was the same as the previous two days, but with even less wind. The day started good with two brief pterodroma spec. sightings, a Loggerhead and a pod of at least five Bottlenose Dolphins on the way to the chumming site. However the chum attracted “only” a Madeiran Storm-petrel and an Arctic tern (besides the standard amount of Cory’s Shearwaters and Bulwers Petrels). The chumming ended prematurely when a two or three meter large Blue Shark came and finished 10 Kg of chum in three bites… This meant unfortunately that I was unable to see a Zino’s Petrel at sea during this pelagic. However, the entire experience was well worth it and the other species observed were lovely.
Thanks to Hugo and Catherina I was able to join the excursion to the Zino’s Petrel colony at Pico de Ariero, which would take place the next day.
 |
| Atlantic Bottlenose Dophin (Trusiops truncatus) |
26
July Caniço de Baixo and
excursion to Zino’s Petrel colony
During the past 3 days I always birded a little around the hotel in Caniço de Baixo which yielded some Macaronesian endemic species i.e. Plain Swift and Atlantic Canary and some endemic subspecies i.e. Common Kestrel (ssp. canariensis), Blackbird (ssp. carbrerae), Blackcap (ssp. heineken) and Goldfinch (ssp. parva). A stroll a bit further from the hotel grounds produced the same species but also a lovely male Spectacled Warbler of the endemic subspecies bella.
Around 21:00 we were in the car to Pico de Ariero ready to see the desirable Zino’s petrel at last. When we arrived at the top (1802 meters a.s.l.) Hugo and Catherina provided headlights and then we were ready to walk the last half hour to the breeding site. At the colony we waited nervously for the birds to arrive. At first the tape of the conservation program a couple of slopes further (placed to encourage birds to breed on more than one slope to reduce vulnerability) played tricks with our minds, but in the end we heard some genuine birds. The entire setting in which the hearing (and eventually the viewing) of the birds took place was simply breathtaking: being almost at the highest point of Madeira with a clear sky and an almost full moon which reflected lovely in the Atlantic Ocean. On top of that the birds uttered almost ghost-like sounds that perfectly fitted this atmosphere. (As soon as I’m back in the Netherlands I’ll make sure to upload a sound recording, as well as more pictures) Concluding: besides the pelagic the trip to breeding site of Zino’s Petrel should not be missed!
During the past 3 days I always birded a little around the hotel in Caniço de Baixo which yielded some Macaronesian endemic species i.e. Plain Swift and Atlantic Canary and some endemic subspecies i.e. Common Kestrel (ssp. canariensis), Blackbird (ssp. carbrerae), Blackcap (ssp. heineken) and Goldfinch (ssp. parva). A stroll a bit further from the hotel grounds produced the same species but also a lovely male Spectacled Warbler of the endemic subspecies bella.
Around 21:00 we were in the car to Pico de Ariero ready to see the desirable Zino’s petrel at last. When we arrived at the top (1802 meters a.s.l.) Hugo and Catherina provided headlights and then we were ready to walk the last half hour to the breeding site. At the colony we waited nervously for the birds to arrive. At first the tape of the conservation program a couple of slopes further (placed to encourage birds to breed on more than one slope to reduce vulnerability) played tricks with our minds, but in the end we heard some genuine birds. The entire setting in which the hearing (and eventually the viewing) of the birds took place was simply breathtaking: being almost at the highest point of Madeira with a clear sky and an almost full moon which reflected lovely in the Atlantic Ocean. On top of that the birds uttered almost ghost-like sounds that perfectly fitted this atmosphere. (As soon as I’m back in the Netherlands I’ll make sure to upload a sound recording, as well as more pictures) Concluding: besides the pelagic the trip to breeding site of Zino’s Petrel should not be missed!
27
July Funchal and Caniço
de Baixo
Today we headed towards Funchal where I hoped to get more decent views on Roseate Terns than just a fly-by bird like the one in Caniço de Baixo. Unfortunately the jetty in the harbor did not produce more than 200 Yellow-legged Gulls (ssp. atlanticus) and a couple of Common Terns. Besides this, the capital of Madeira produced little, but I managed to make some nice sound recordings of Cory’s Shearwaters in Caniço de Baixo that evening.
Today we headed towards Funchal where I hoped to get more decent views on Roseate Terns than just a fly-by bird like the one in Caniço de Baixo. Unfortunately the jetty in the harbor did not produce more than 200 Yellow-legged Gulls (ssp. atlanticus) and a couple of Common Terns. Besides this, the capital of Madeira produced little, but I managed to make some nice sound recordings of Cory’s Shearwaters in Caniço de Baixo that evening.
28
July Caniço de Baixo
A stroll around the grounds of the hotel resulted in the few common species here and it also produced an early migrant in the form of a Common Sandpiper.
A stroll around the grounds of the hotel resulted in the few common species here and it also produced an early migrant in the form of a Common Sandpiper.
29
July São Laurenço
Peninsula and Caniçal
After an early start we found ourselves on top of the rocky cliffs of the São Laurenço Peninsula. This peninsula offers for a beautiful hike and it is also one of the few places on the island where Rock Sparrows can be found, so we were delighted to find a group of 40 of these birds, which are of the maderiensis subspecies. The hike also produced a lot of Atlantic Canaries and some lovely Berthelot’s Pipits of the madeirensis subspecies. The endemic Madeira Wall Lizards are also very confiding here and eat banana’s out of your hand (and even might try if your finger is edible as well). The peninsula can be combined with one of the few (black sand) beaches on the islands which offers some reasonable snorkeling (not if you’re used to tropical waters) and we saw some small Barracuda’s. After a swim we went to Caniçal which is the only place on Madeira were Spanish Sparrow can be found. These are easy to find in the palm trees near the small harbor and in the end they even tried to snatch some of our dinner.
At night at Caniço de Baixo I thought I heard a Black-crowned Night-heron, but the bird stopped calling before I could make a recording, so I’m not sure (considering the rarity of this species on the island).
After an early start we found ourselves on top of the rocky cliffs of the São Laurenço Peninsula. This peninsula offers for a beautiful hike and it is also one of the few places on the island where Rock Sparrows can be found, so we were delighted to find a group of 40 of these birds, which are of the maderiensis subspecies. The hike also produced a lot of Atlantic Canaries and some lovely Berthelot’s Pipits of the madeirensis subspecies. The endemic Madeira Wall Lizards are also very confiding here and eat banana’s out of your hand (and even might try if your finger is edible as well). The peninsula can be combined with one of the few (black sand) beaches on the islands which offers some reasonable snorkeling (not if you’re used to tropical waters) and we saw some small Barracuda’s. After a swim we went to Caniçal which is the only place on Madeira were Spanish Sparrow can be found. These are easy to find in the palm trees near the small harbor and in the end they even tried to snatch some of our dinner.
At night at Caniço de Baixo I thought I heard a Black-crowned Night-heron, but the bird stopped calling before I could make a recording, so I’m not sure (considering the rarity of this species on the island).
30
July Rabaçal (25 springs)
Rabaçal offers some lovely hiking through lush laurel forest, but can be hard
to find without a navigation device as Madeira has a serious lack of road
signs. Once we had arrived, we were immediately greeted by some Madeira
Firecrests which turned out to be abundant and many of them were juveniles; a
good sign! Also the madeirensis
subspecies of Chaffinch is common here and can even be fed with some bread. The
hike eventually produced a nice fly-by sighting of a Trocaz Pigeon, which was
the last endemic species on the check list.
 |
| Adult Madeira Firecrest (Regulus madeirensis) |
 |
| Juvenile Madeira Firecrest (Regulus madeirensis) |
 |
| Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs madeirensis) |
 |
| Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs madeirensis) |
31 July São Vinçente and Seixal
During a trip to the interesting volcanic caves near São Vinçente some nice birds were seen like Madeira Firecrest and five Trocaz Pigeons which perched in a tree near a pizzeria in São Vinçente while we enjoyed a nice lunch. A good species for the pizza list indeed!
2
August Pico de Ariero and
Ribeiro Frio
After a relaxing day at the hotel we went back up to Pico de Ariero to enjoy the scenery in broad daylight. A short hike to the colony of the Zino’s Petrel, where we’ve been before produced some Linnets of the endemic subspecies guenteri and a nice and uncommon migrant in the form of a House Martin between a flock of Plain Swifts. A hike along the Ribeiro Frio (start at the trout farm) produced some nice(but distant) views of Trocaz Pigeons, as well as the very common Madeira Firecrest and madeirensis Chaffinch (which even ate out of my hand).
After a relaxing day at the hotel we went back up to Pico de Ariero to enjoy the scenery in broad daylight. A short hike to the colony of the Zino’s Petrel, where we’ve been before produced some Linnets of the endemic subspecies guenteri and a nice and uncommon migrant in the form of a House Martin between a flock of Plain Swifts. A hike along the Ribeiro Frio (start at the trout farm) produced some nice(but distant) views of Trocaz Pigeons, as well as the very common Madeira Firecrest and madeirensis Chaffinch (which even ate out of my hand).
3-6
August Funchal and Caniço de
Baixo
Because we had to return the car, the more interesting bird sightings stop here, but a couple of relaxing days on this island were also very nice. They also produced the only sighting of a Sparrowhawk of the endemic subspecies granti.
Because we had to return the car, the more interesting bird sightings stop here, but a couple of relaxing days on this island were also very nice. They also produced the only sighting of a Sparrowhawk of the endemic subspecies granti.
In
summary: two weeks Madeira is a bit long if you just go for the birds, because
there are not too many resident species on the island. However a pelagic is highly
recommended (especially if you are a WP lister). The same goes for the
excursion to hear and see Zino’s Petrel at Pico de Ariero.
 |
| Madeira Wall Lizard (Lacerta dugesii) |
Species
list:
Birds (33 species)
Birds (33 species)
- Cory’s
Shearwater (ssp. borealis): seen
every day in large numbers during the pelagic and heard (and sometimes seen)
daily at Caniço de Baixo.
- Bulwers
Peterel: seen ever day in large numbers during the pelagic. Also some birds
were seen flying by at Caniço de Baixo.
- Fea’s
Petrel (ssp. desertas): seen two
birds on the first two days of the pelagic. Both individuals were identified
using photographs as classic desertas
(according to Hadoram Shirihai’s article). E
- Zino’s
Petrel: frustratingly not seen during the pelagic, but heard and seen well
during the night excursion to Pico de Ariero, where they breed. E
- Madeira
Storm-petrel: two birds recorded on the last two days of the pelagic.
- White-faced
Storm-petrel: one bird seen extremely well on the second day of the pelagic.
- Common
Buzzard: Seen on several occasions throughout the island.
- Common
Sparrowhawk (ssp. granti): one bird
seen on the last day in Caniço de Baixo. e
- Common
Kestrel (ssp. canariensis): seen on
several occasions throughout the island. e
- Ruddy
Turnstone: three birds were seen at the marina during the last two days of the
pelagic.
- Common
Sandpiper: one of these migrants was recorded on 28 and 29 July near Caniço de
Baixo.
- Yellow-legged
Gull (ssp. atlanticus): very common,
seen daily.
- Lesser
Black-backed Gull: one bird was seen on the last day of the pelagic and another
bird was seen at Camâra de Lobos.
- Common
Tern: very common, seen daily.
- Arctic tern: one bird identified on the last day of the pelagic.
- Roseate
tern: One bird seen flying by at Caniço de Baixo on 23 July.
- Sandwich
tern: One bird seen flying by at Caniço de Baixo.
- Trocaz
Pigeon: seen on three different occasions: at Rabaçal (one), at São Vinçente
(five) and at Ribeiro Frio (three). E
- Plain
Swift: This Macaronesian endemic is very common and was seen daily. E
- Grey
Wagtail (ssp. schmitzi): common and
seen almost daily. e
- Berthelot’s
Pipit (ssp. madeirensis): seen in
good numbers at the São Laurenço Peninsula. E
- House
Martin: An uncommon migrant which was seen at Pico de Ariero on 2 August.
- Blackcap
(ssp. heineken): very common and seen
daily. Unfortunately no individual with complete black head was seen. e
- Spectacled Warbler (ssp. bella): one lovely male was seen near Caniço de Baixo on 26 July. e
- Common
Blackbird (ssp. carbrerae): common
and seen daily. e
- Robin:
two seen near Rabaçal and one at Ribeiro Frio.
- Madeira
Firecrest: this endemic is surprisingly common in forested areas like 25
springs near Rabaçal and Ribeiro Frio. E
- Atlantic
Canary: Common and seen almost daily. E
- Goldfinch
(ssp. parva): uncommon species which
was recorded only twice: near Caniço de Baixo and at Ribeiro Frio.
- Linnet
(ssp. guentheri): only recorded once
at Pico de Ariero on 2 August. e
- Chaffinch
(ssp. madeirensis): Common in well
wooded areas like Ribeiro Frio and Rabaçal. e
- Rock
Sparrow (ssp. maderiensis): One flock
of 40 birds was seen at the São Laurenço peninsula. e
- Spanish
Sparrow: Easy at Caniçal, absent anywhere else.
 |
| Atlantic Canary (Serinus canaria) |
Other
animals:
- Bottlenose
Dolphin: a pod of five seen on the last day of the pelagic.
- Beaked
whale spec.: Seen on the first day of the pelagic, but to brief to identify
(probably Curviers’/ Gervais’/ Blainsville’s)
- Loggerhead:
this sea turtle was recorded every day of the pelagic. We even saved one from a
fishing net.
- Madeira
Wall Lizard: common and seen daily. E
- Blue
Shark: one 2-3 m. individual gulped up our last chum on the last day of the pelagic.
E = endemic to Madeira
E = endemic to Macaronesia
e = subspecies endemic to Madeira of Macaronesia
E = endemic to Macaronesia
e = subspecies endemic to Madeira of Macaronesia
