It's been 21 years since Wind Birds started its operation! It has not been an easy ride, specially in what concerns to Nature as there is not much awareness or conservation in Madeira. We have witnessed and suffer with loss of habitat from bad planning and governemnt decisions such as overbuilding, forest fires, the killing of Trocaz Pigeons... But we are still here fighting for the conservation of the fauna & flora of Madeira archipelago...
Let's see which bird species decided to visit Madeira to celebrate our 21st anniversary with us:

19th of February 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

13th of February 2025 off Calheta - observed by Thomas (DEN)
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

12th of February 2025 at Caniçal
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

11th of February 2025 at Ribeiro Frio - sighting by Thomas (DEN)
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

8th of February 2025 at Funchal harbour - observed by Roger (UK)
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

May this year be greener, cooler and much more peaceful than the previous ones! And despite all these climate changes let's hope for some interesting bird species to visit Madeira and that the
breeding ones keep coming in the same numbers as they used to.

31st of January 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

At São Gonçalo
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

At Caniçal
7 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
2 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

At Santa Cruz
>15 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

27th of January 2025 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

At Santa Cruz
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Seasonally speaking we are almost entering winter but the maximum temperatures in Madeira coastal areas have been still above 24ºC which was not usual for early December...

30th of December 2024 at Camacha
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

29th of December 2024 at Santa Cruz harbour
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
2 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Off Porto Moniz - reported by Michel (NED)
Great Skua Stercorarius skua

28th of December 2024 at Paul da Serra reservoir - photographed by Michel (NED)
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

25th of December 2024 off Porto Moniz - observed by Michel (NED)
Great Skua Stercorarius skua

24th of December 2024 off Porto Moniz - seawatched by Michel (NED)
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus

First, our deepest sympathy to the loss of lives and homes in the south of Spain due to the extreme weather events. It is heartbreaking to watch the consequences of climate change!
Considering the rough weather events through the Western Palearctic in the 1st days of November and the ones that are still forming in the Atlantic ocean, one might expect some different bird species to be blown into Madeira but it is really scary to think if rainfall like that hits Madeira this winter, after last August fires which burnt a huge part of the central mountainous massif...

22nd of November 2024 at Lugar de Baixo - reported by Michel (NED)
Great White Egret Ardea alba
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

off Porto Moniz
679 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis - in only 2 hours of seawatching

21st of November 2024 off Porto Moniz - seawatched by Michel (NED)
440 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis
9 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus

19th of November 2024 at Caniçal
14 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

Reported by Ian (UK)
At Baía d'Abra
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

At Santana
Black Kite Milvus migrans

At Porto Moniz sightings by Michel (NED)
Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
328 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis
10 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus
2 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus

18th of November 2024 at Fanal photographed by Neil (UK)
Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus - 1st record for Madeira

October should be an autumn month but temperatures in Madeira are still like summer... Migration should be on its way, so let's see which bird species will visit Madeira archipelago this month.

24th of October 2024 at Caniçal
5 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

19th of October 2024 at São Vicente - observed by Hannu (FIN)
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

18th of October 2024 at Lugar de Baixo
Little Crake Porzana parva - photographed by Hannu (FIN) - less than 5 records in the last 50 years!
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Madeira Archipelago offers good conditions to birdwatchers, not only in terms of breeding birds but also vagrant bird species. Though there are only 47 breeding species to these islands, about half of them are endemic species or subspecies to Madeira or to Macaronesia region (Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands).

Madeira has three endemic species: Trocaz Pigeon Columba trocaz which is associated with the native forest of Madeira: the Laurel Forest; Madeira Firecrest Regulus madeirensis, normally observed on forested areas and the rare Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira, a threatened seabird that nests on the highest mountains of Madeira. Regarding the Macaronesia bird species, one may observe Fea's/Desertas Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta, Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, Atlantic Canary Serinus canaria, Berthelot's Pipit Anthus berthelotti and the Plain Swift Apus unicolor.

One interesting feature of birding in Madeira is the high number of endemic subspecies from which the ornithological highlights go to the bluish Madeiran Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs maderensis and the darker colours of Barn Owl Tyto alba schmitzi and Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea schmitzi.

However, seabirds are the major attraction for birdwatchers because there are several colonies of world importance. In Madeira archipelago one may find 8 breeding seabirds species namely the rare Pterodromas (P. feae and P. madeira), Barolo's Shearwater Puffinus baroli, Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro and White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca. This last species being confined to breed in Selvagens Islands but observed offshore on Wind Birds' Pelagic Expeditions.

A pelagic trip on Madeira or seawatching from the coast gives you also the chance to observe some vagrant birds like Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus or European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, between others;

Join one of Wind Birds tours and you will see not only Madeira birds but also amazing landscapes which are out of the common tourist routes!