March 2015 birding report for Madeira

March means Spring and as one may consider that in Madeira it is Spring all year around, some of the resident bird species are already nesting and others displaying, so bird music is in the air... As for vagrant birds, lets see what Spring brings to Madeira:

31st of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus - Exceptional record
3 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus
19 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
2 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Common Redshank Tringa totanus

At São Vicente
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii - back to their breeding grounds!

At Machico
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
15 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus
White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

30th of March 2015 at Caniçal
2 Sand Martin Riparia riparia
2 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
4 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

At Funchal harbour - observations by Dave Chambers (UK)
15 Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina - flying east
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

29th of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

28th of March 2015 at Funchal
2 White Stork Ciconia ciconia

27th of March 2015 at Caniçal
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius curonicus
7 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

26th of March 2015 at Machico
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

At Caniçal
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

25th of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
2 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
3 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At São Vicente
2 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

At Ponta do Pargo
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

21st of March 2015 at São Vicente
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

At Lugar de Baixo
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

20th of March 2015 at Câmara de Lobos - observed by Jette & Lars Peter Hansen (DEN)
12 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

19th of March 2015 at Machico
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
9 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Caniçal
5 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

18th of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
2 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

16th of March 2015 at Ponta do Pargo
4 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

At Lugar de Baixo
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

12th of March 2015 at Ponta São Lourenço
17 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
9 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
2 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

10th of March 2015 at Caniçal
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
2 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Dunlin Calidris alpina alpina
6 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Machico
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
2 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Ponta de São Lourenço - sightings by John Bowler (UK)
30 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
Common House Martin Delichon urbicum
2 Sand Martin Riparia riparia

7th of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
5 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

At Ponta do Pargo
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus - flying near the coast

At São Vicente
3 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus

Seawatching at São Vicente
2 Common Tern Sterna hirundo - first common terns observed this year! So the Common Terns are back and within a month we should have the Roseate tern Sterna dougallii around as well!
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis

In Porto Santo Island - reported by John Bowler (UK)
Golf Course ponds
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors - drake
5 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Ruff Philomachus pugnax
2 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Ponta
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

Tanque pond
2 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
Ruff Philomachus pugnax
2 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
5 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
1 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
2 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

6th of March 2015 at Lugar de Baixo
4 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Great White Egret Ardea alba

Off Funchal Harbour - observation by John Bowler (UK)
2 Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis

5th of March 2015 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
8 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

At Caniçal
18 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

4th of March 2015 at Funchal Harbour - Observed by John Bowler (UK)
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis - at least 3 first winter birds
40 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - 1st winter
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus - 1st winter

1st of March 2015 at Machico
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
2 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Also at Machico at a different time, Twan Mols (NED) observed:
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres