April's 2014 birding reports for Madeira

On the very first days of April the wind blowed strongly from west quadrant and rain fell heavily... As this is a migration month, lets see which vagrant species were blown off their route. Meantime, since the 4th of April Wind Birds is running its Zino's Petrel Night Expedition to hear and see the silhouettes of the rare Pterodroma madeira with success!

29th April 2014 at Ponta do Pargo
Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra
2 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Lugar de Baixo
4 Dunlin Calidris alpina
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

26th April 2014 at Lugar de Baixo
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

at Caniçal
2 Great Northern Loon Gavia immer

24th April 2014 at Caniçal
Great Northern Loon Gavia immer - at sea

at Machico
Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus - flying over the bay
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus - flying offshore
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

21st April 2014 at Caniçal
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops
Common House Martin Delichon urbicum
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

On Bird, dolphin & whale watching trips
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus
Great Skua Stercorarius skua
Common Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops truncatus

18th April 2014 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Common Terns Sterna hirundo

at Caniçal
Hoopoe Upupa epops

On Bird, dolphin & whale watching trips
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus
Short-finned Pilot Whales Globicephala macrorhynchus
Short-beaked Common Dolphins Delphinus delphis
2 Fin Whales Balaenoptera physalus
Striped Dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba

16th April 2014 at São Vicente
2 Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Roseate Terns Sterna dougallii
Common Terns Sterna hirundo
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Lugar de Baixo
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra - with 3 chicks + 3 chicks
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus - with 2 chicks
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

11th April 2014 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

Caniçal
Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica

10th April 2014 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

6th April 2014 at Ponta de São Lourenço
2 Great Northern Loon Gavia immer
8 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
8 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
3 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
2 Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

Common Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops truncatus

at Lugar de Baixo - sightings by Ton and Annemiek Eggenhuizen (NED)
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

5th April 2014 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

4th April 2014 at Pico do Areeiro on a Zino's Petrel Night Expedition
Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira - more than 70 calls heard

3rd April 2014 at Lugar de Baixo
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra - with 3 chicks
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus - with 2 chicks

at Porto Santo - reported by Ton and Annemiek Eggenhuizen
Booted Eagle Aquila pennata
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus - on the ferry trip to Porto Santo

at Ponta de São Lourenço -observed by Peter de Vries & Nicole Feige (NED)
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

2nd April 2014 at Fonte dos Almocreves, Boaventura - sighting by Peter de Vries & Nicole Feige
Little Swift Apus affinis - this should be the 2nd record for Madeira 24 years after the first record (Mougin et al., 1987).

1st April 2014 at Santa Cruz
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola