August at Spurn

Obviously a large section of August was spent in Madeira, but my time at Spurn was pretty productive for the most part. A number of nice species were ringed, and I had a great time with the abundance of Dragonflies and Damselflies which had emerged as a product of the warm weather. The most exciting of these was the reappearance of Small Red-eyed Damselfly along the canal after an absence of about five years, the entire time that I had been visiting Spurn. Whilst out photographing them I also found a female Banded Demoiselle, which was a Spurn tick for me and only the 19^th record.

-Small Red-eyed Damselfly

-Banded Demoiselle

Birding remained fairly slow but a cracking male Red-backed Shrike in Canal Hedge on the 8^th August, the day before my departure to Madeira, was a nice treat and made for an excellent start to the autumn. Sadly it remained distant and mobile whilst I was observing it. Ringing remained slow and steady but a Treecreeper was a nice surprise in the nets one morning. A Common Crane flew south over Kilnsea one Saturday whilst I was at work. Of course I abandoned my work and scanned from the foreshore in front of the pub. I was lucky enough to be with Jonny Holiday who had bins with him and was able to pick the bird up.

-Treecreeper

Upon my return the first migrants of the autumn had begun to appear, with 150 Willow Warblers seen in the area on one day. Wheatears and Whinchats also started to appear, and I went out with spring traps and managed to catch on of each, as well as another Whinchat in Corner Field. Pied Flycatchers also began to increase towards the end of the month, and we caught a few of these in the garden. We also caught a Wood Warbler, a real scarcity at Spurn, which Paul brought round to the pub for me to ring whilst at work. A Kingfisher in Churchfield was probably the ringing highlight of the month, and maybe even the year. A really stunning bird!

-Whinchat

-Wood Warbler

-Kingfisher

A cracking male Black Darter on the 24^th was another dragonfly Spurn tick for me, this time found by Tim at the end Churchfield Heligoland trap, as so many rare dragonflies area. On the 29^th Adam, as he so often does, found a Woodchat Shrike at the Warren. It was extremely elusive and difficult to connect with, but as the morning warmed up it became more active and was soon feeding out, even if it remained a little obscured. During the afternoon I headed off to Hornsea with my parents, and as a result I missed out on ringing an Icterine Warbler. The next day a new bird was in the garden at Kew but sadly never went in any nets, but fortunately it reappeared in the nets later the following morning. I was pretty thrilled when I took it out put it that way, even if it’s not a self-find. That was one of two birds that I ringed on the 31^st, the other being a Red-backed Shrike at Sammies Point that Adam and I caught using spring-traps. What a day that was!

-Woodchat Shrike

-Black Darter

-Icterine Warbler

-Red-backed Shrike

Species List:

Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Gannet, Cormorant, Peregrine, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Lapwing, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Swift, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Robin, Redstart, Wheatear, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting,

Madeira complete species list

BIRDS
Cory's Shearwater	Calonectris borealis
Bulwer's Petrel	Bulweria bulwerii
Desertas Petrel	Pterodroma deserta
Zino's Petrel	Pterodroma madeira
Band-rumped Storm Petrel	Oceanodroma castro
Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus granti
Yellow-legged Gull	Larus michahellis
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
Roseate Tern	Sterna dougallii
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus
Sanderling	Calidris alba
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
Common Ketrel	Falco tinnunculus canariensis
Peregrine	Falco peregrinus
Trocaz Pigeon	Columba trocaz
Feral Pigeon	Columba livia domestica
Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto
Plain Swift	Apus unicolor
Berthelot's Pipit	Anthus berthelotii
Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea schmitzi
Eurasian Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla
Common Whitethroat	Sylvia communis
Madeira Firecrest	Regulus madeirensis
European Robin	Erithacus rubecula
Common Blackbird	Turdus merula cabrerae
Madeiran Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs maderensis
European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis parva
Atlantic Canary	Serinus canaria
Common Waxbill	Estrilda astrild
MAMMALS
Brydes Whale	Balaenoptera brydei
REPTILES
Madeiran Wall Lizard	Lacerta dugesii
AMPHIBIANS
Perez's Frog	Pelophylax perezi
BUTTERFLIES
Monarch	Danaus plexippus
Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta
Clouded Yellow	Colias croceus
Small White	Pieris rapae
Lang's Short-tailed Blue	Leptotes pirithous
Speckled Wood	Pararge aegeria
Madeiran Grayling	Hipparchia maderensis

Madeira Day 5

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip

32.512719, -16.509508 ~ 32.646104, -16.910663

We awoke early in the morning and after a couple of hours had made our move to leave the island. The Berthelot’s Pipits and Atlantic Canaries were still hanging around the camp; showing as well as they had been the previous day.

The journey back was much the same as the crossing coming, with exceptional views of Bulwer’s Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters. The Pterodroma petrel count was up to 19, with most moving past distantly, but with the occasional bird coming quite close. As before, all the birds that we were able to identify we assigned to Desertas Petrel. The highlight of the return trip was an awesome Bryde’s Whale which emerged from the waves not far from the boat. We saw it emerge a few times, each time giving an impressive spout. It was fortunate that the animal was as close to the boat, the choppy nature of the ocean otherwise making it difficult to pick out cetaceans against the waves.

Upon our return to the Madeiran mainland we made our way back to the hostel where we gathered our things and headed off to the airport for our return flight.

-Bryde's Whale

-Pterodroma Petrel

-Cory's Shearwater

Species List:

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Desertas Petrel, Common Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Berthelot’s Pipit, Atlantic Canary, Bryde’s Whale, Madeiran Wall Lizard,

Madeira Day 4

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip

32.646104, -16.910663 ~ 32.512719, -16.509508

The plan for the last two days of the trip was to travel out to the Desertas Islands off the south-eastern corner of Madeira. The tour was organised by Ventura do Mar; consisting of a boat trip out to islands early afternoon, followed by a night on the island, and then a return boat journey the following day.

The boat journey produced excellent views of both Cory’s Shearwater and Bulwer’s Petrel. Both species could be seen flying at very close quarters alongside us. The birds we were really hunting for were Pterodroma petrels, and we had great success with at least eight individuals. Most individuals were distant, but those close enough to be identified were all Desertas Petrels, the less endangered species which breeds on Bugio, the most southern island of the Desertas Islands archipelago.

In addition to the tubenoses on display, we also had a cracking adult Roseate Tern sat on the pier within the harbour in Funchal. The personal highlight from the crossing was an incredible Atlantic Flying Fish, which flew out from alongside the boat, and proceeded to glide for some ten metres before dropping back into the water. It happened too quickly for photos, but it was amazing to witness!

-Roseate Tern

-Desertas Petrel

-Bulwer's Petrel

Once we arrived on Deserta Grande, the largest Island in the Archipelago and our home for the night, we were greeted by incredible views of Berthelot’s Pipit. Birds were running around our feet and almost taking food from our hands. We also had really good views of Atlantic Canary, with large flocks zipping around the area of our camp. The Madeiran Wall Lizards on the Island were even tamer than those on the mainland, regularly taking food from our hands, and any food left unattended was quickly set upon by them. We also had two island rarities; Collared Dove and Common Whitethroat, the latter being quite rare species for Madeira as a whole. As well as birding the island, during the afternoon we went for a swim, getting to see some of the amazing fish species.

-Berthelots Pipit

-Atlantic Canary

-Atlantic Rock Crab

-Madeiran Wall Lizard

-Common Whitethroat

The main reason for visiting the island was to enjoy the seabird colony there. Everywhere we walked there were burrows of Cory’s Shearwater and Bulwer’s Petrel and once night fell, the island came alive with birds everywhere. We regularly found Bulwer’s Petrels sat on the floor near their nests, whilst still more flew around our heads. The other species breeding on the island is Madeiran Storm Petrel, which we failed to see but frequently heard coming into their nests. We finally put our heads down at around midnight, sleeping on mattresses out in the open whilst the seabird extravaganza continued around us.

Species List:

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Desertas Petrel, Madeiran Storm Petrel, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Collard Dove, Berthelot’s Pipit, Common Whitethroat, Atlantic Canary, Madeiran Wall Lizard,

Madeira Day 3

Funchal

32.646465, -16.908382

After a late evening out in Funchal, we spent the majority of the day recovering around Phil’s Hostel. We walked down into town late morning where we spent some time birding the parks and lawns adjacent to the harbour. We had our first Common Waxbill of the trip, although they were only brief around a small allotment on the cliffside. The lawns around the city centre where popular with schmitzi Grey Wagtail, which we found to be fairly approachable given time.

-Banded Garden Spider

-Plain Swift

-schmitzi Grey Wagtail

-Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Species List:

Funchal: Cory’s Shearwater, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Tern, Feral Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Common Waxbill, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Monarch,

Vereda do Areeiro

32.734961, -16.928667

In the evening we went out on an evening tour with Wind Birds to the Zino’s Petrel colony in the mountains in the centre of the island. The wind battered us while we walked through the darkness along steep highland paths. It was quite the experience to say the least! The point where we would hear the petrels coming in to their nests was some distance along the paths. During quieter spells, when the wind dropped off, we heard single birds flying about but we did not spot any silhouettes against the sky.

Species List:

Vereda do Areeiro: Zino’s Petrel,

Madeira Day 2

Palheiro Gardens

32.663554, -16.871306

For our second and third day we hired a car so that we could explore more of the island and see as many island endemics as we could. Our first port of call was the Palheiro Gardens, in northern Funchal, to try for Madeiran Firecrest and Trocaz Pigeon. We found both species to be quite abundant around the gardens. At first we found the pigeons quite flighty and difficult to connect with, but as the morning wore on we soon found birds waddling around the lawns. In addition to the species endemics, we also connected with a number of the islands subspecies; maderensis Chaffinch, cabrerae Blackbird and granti Sparrowhawk.

In addition to the birds, the garden had a lot of other wildlife to offer, including our only amphibian of the trip; Perez’s Frog. We also enjoyed a wide variety of butterflies on the flowering borders including Monarch and the endemic Madeiran Grayling. We moved on from the garden late morning, and headed off to the north side of the island.

-Madeiran Firecrest

-Perez's Frog

-Monarch

-Clouded Yellow

-Trocaz Pigeon

Species List:

Palheiro Gardens: Common Buzzard, Eurasian Kestrel, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Trocaz Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Plain Swift, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Blackcap, Madeiran Firecrest, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Madeiran Wall Lizard, Perez’s Frog, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Clouded Yellow, Speckled Wood, Madeiran Grayling, Monarch, Small White,

Porto Moniz

32.867846, -17.169424

We headed north to the town of Porto Moniz for an afternoon of Seawatching. The drive took us through the mountains with some spectacular scenery where we had a handful of Trocaz Pigeons fly across the road, as well as flocks of Atlantic Canaries adorning the roadside wires.

Once we arrived in Porto Moniz We set up on the seafront near the outdoor swimming pool and spent a solid five hours staring out to sea. Cory’s Shearwaters and Bulwer’s Petrels made up the vast majority of the birds. Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling were both welcome additions to the trip list, as was a young Peregrine that was watched pursuing a Whimbrel, the latter frequently ditching itself into the waves in an attempt to evade the predator. From beneath the waves we also spotted the protruding dorsal fin of at least three Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks. Due to the choppiness of the waves it was difficult to make out anything more than the fins, but from what we saw and what we have read about sharks in Madeira, we are confident that they were this species.

Around the town itself there were more birds; Atlantic Canaries were abundant in the fig plantations, and there were also Eurasian Blackcap and cabrerae Blackbird. The day took a rather unfortunate turn on the way back when our hire car broke down, but fortunately we were rescued by the company in fairly good time. We arrived back in Funchal early evening, in good time for the evenings stag do.

-Atlantic Canary

-Cory's Shearwater

Species List:

Porto Moniz: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Yellow-legged Gull, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Peregrine, Plain Swift, Trocaz Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Atlantic Canary, Common Blackbird, Eurasian Blackcap,