Murdo Macdonald sent us an e-mail yesterday, reporting his sighting of a Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra in Ponta do Pargo,on the 10th April 2011. These were his words: "A single bird was watched for c 5min at rest (and briefly in flight) in excellent conditions at a distance of This was the first record for this species in Madeira, so Catarina & Hugo went there on the 14th April 2011 and observed not 1 but 3 Corn Buntings and took photos of them!

The 18th of December 2010 Tim Farr reported a Goosander at Tanque pond, in Porto Santo. This first record for Madeira archipelago was confirmed by Catarina, Hugo, M. Biscoito and F. Zino, who went to Porto Santo on a research pelagic trip in Oceanodroma from the 5th to the 9th of January 2011. This group have also recorded some other interesting vagrant species from this island:

Hugo and Catarina, from Madeira Wind Birds were present at the GIAM (Iberian Group fro Seabirds) congress that took place in Santurtzi, Biscaya, Spain on the 30th and 31st of October 2011. While Hugo was presenting Zino's Petrel pelagic expeditions he showed a photo of a feeding frenzy of Cory's shearwaters. António Sandoval, a former Wind Birds' customer from Galicia, got intrigued with one of the birds on the photo...

Short news for two interesting records for Madeira on October 26, 2010:

Lugar de Baixo at 9am a juvenile Gadwall Anas strepera was seen.

Later at 7pm a drake Gadwall was seen at Ribeira Brava river mouth.

As an extra note a Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus was seen in the same morning at Lugar de Baixo, in this case the 1st record for Madeira.

Another first record for Madeira - Pacific Golden Plover

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva