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
Short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus
29th December 2012 at Ribeira da Janela
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria - 3rd record for Madeira
Paul da Serra
Skylark Alauda arvensis - several flying and calling
Lugar de Baixo
2 Eurasian Teals Anas crecca
27th December 2012 at Funchal harbor - reported by Manvell Adam (from France)
1 Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - it had a blue ring on its left leg though numbers were not possible to see
13th December 2012 at Caniçal
4 Sanderlings Calidris alba
2 Dunlins Calidris alpina
5 Turnstones Arenaria interpres
1 Greenshank Tringa nebularia
1 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
12 Starlings Sturnus vulgaris
1 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
11th December 2012 at Faial
1 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
1 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
1 Little Egret Egretta Garzetta
1 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
2nd December 2012 at São Vicente
2 Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus
1 White Wagtail Motacilla alba
1 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Porto Moniz
4 Black-headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Ponta do Pargo
1 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
1 Northern Wheater Oenanthe oenanthe
1 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
Skylarks Alauda arvensis
Lugar de Baixo
2 Grey Herons Ardea cinerea
1 Shoveler Anas clypeata
2 Eurasian Teals Anas crecca
1 Dunlin Calidris alpina
2 Madeiran Bats Pipistrellus maderensis
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